


Chance In Counter

by Vixenfur



Category: Saw (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, just your dorks being dorks in a less life-threatening situation, no creepy clowns and murders haha, sarcastic adam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2016-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-06 04:41:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4208331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vixenfur/pseuds/Vixenfur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aside from his job as a photographer for the newspaper, Adam works at Chance In Counter to pay off his bills. His morning was already starting off poorly, but to top it off some rich asshole strutted in and pissed him off further. What astonished Adam was that even after he did his best to drive the man off, said rich asshole kept coming back for another cup of coffee.</p><p>!!DISCONTINUED!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first decent Saw fanfiction ever. Lets see how this goes.

"Fuck, Amanda, can you tie this for me?"

"Yeah," her hands swiftly secured the apron to Adam's back. "Watch your language around the customers."

"Whatever," Adam huffed, rolling up his sleeves to his elbows, scrunching his eyebrows stubbornly. "They can deal with it... I hardly slept last night, _fuck."_

"Adam," she barked his name, and Adam merely sighed in response.

The shop had just opened ten minutes ago and Adam was running late. He woke up late- the power in his apartment went out and came back on at some point in the night, resetting his alarm clock to midnight of January 1st that year, and so naturally his clock did not register that it was supposed to wake him up. Besides his heart-stopping awakening, he had a headache from the previous night's drinking- he may have had a drink or two more than he should of had, but in the moment he was stressed out and just wanted to party a little. He vaguely recalls making out with some goth chick, but he also remembered pushing her away... he went out drinking because he wanted a lay, and when he finally found a girl who was down for a fun night, he turned her away. He remembers she was gorgeous and he had no problem fucking her, but he didn't end up doing what he offered.

Whatever. Maybe he was too tired by that point, and the thought of sex was too taxing...

The bell at the door jingled and Amanda's voice didn't respond, so it was Adam's job to put on the disgusting phony smile. "Welcome to Chance In Counter!" Adam chimed from over his shoulder as he washed his hands in the sink, but inside he was scowling. Fuck this job, he was too tired for this cheery morning bullshit. He glanced over his shoulder to see the customer staring at the menu. He must've been new, since the regular customers usually walk in without a second glance at the menu, order something fast and leave. Or they still don't look at the menu, order the same damn thing and go sit in the corner and read or work on their laptops. Adam couldn't imagine spending every morning in a goddamn coffee shop doing the same goddamn ting every day without getting paid for it. He tried to stop giving those customers funny looks when he wiped down the tables, but he guessed he sucked at hiding his emotions since everyone would give him a dirty look back. Or maybe he just looked annoying. Maybe it was both.

"Can I help you?" Adam reluctantly turned around, and his voice was a little flat. The customer's face was still glued to the menu. He was nothing special- clearly some sort of rich white businessman, blond hair, and clearly married as shown by the wedding ring on his finger.

"Uh, yeah..." he trailed off, then fixed his eyes on Adam. "Just an Americano, please."

"That'll be $2.05," Adam clicked on the cash register and took the... $50 the man handed him. Adam raised an eyebrow. Fucking rich bastards...

"Sorry, I don't have anything smaller on me," the man flashed a smile and chuckled, but Adam just fixed him with an indifferent expression and popped it in the cash register.

"$47.95 is your change," Adam grumbled, handing him his change. The man's smile faded quickly as he took his change back. His butthurt expression pissed Adam off more, and he sharply turned his back on the customer to prepare his coffee.

"Are Monday mornings usually busy, or is it because they're Mondays?" the man tried again from behind Adam, but Adam's head throbbed in response. He sighed.

"You're the only one here, so it's clearly not that busy," Adam's voice was strained as he tried to refrain from bitching the man out entirely. However, his usual sarcastic nature bled through his tone. "And yeah, because it's a fucking Monday... sure."

The air became prickly and Adam damn well knew it was because he dropped a curse, but he figured if the man couldn't handle it he could just leave.

"Sorry, I was just trying to make conversation," Lawrence muttered, a sharp edge to his tone, and that made a wave of hot anger flush through Adam's body. He tensed his shoulders and sighed, shaking his head.

"Maybe you should call your wife if you want to chat," Adam tried not to sound too harsh, but it sounded harsh anyways. There was a bite to his voice this morning.

"I don't really appreciate your attitude..." When Adam turned around to shoot a glare at him, the man's eyes fell down to Adam's apron. "... Adam." He flicked his eyes up to Adam's face once again. "If you want customers to return, you should treat them kindly, regardless of your personal feelings..."

"Sorry, _sir,"_ Adam sneered, "Maybe you should call customer service and file a complaint."

"Sure, what's the number?" The man raised an eyebrow, challenging Adam's temper. Adam snorted.

"Why don't you go post pissy 1-star reviews online like everyone else does, or does your generation avoid the internet?" He snickered and got the man's coffee. "Looks like you'll need this to keep your aching bones from creaking every step."

"Very funny," the man narrowed his eyes and took his coffee from Adam's hands roughly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get to work, there's a kid who needs to get a brain tumor removed today."

"What are you, a surgeon?" Adam cocked his head.

The man was turning away, but he paused and rolled his eyes. "No, I'm a plumber."

"Very funny," Adam snipped, covering his embarrassment from blurting out a... somewhat stupid question. "Well, I hope you like being such a fucking hero."

The man didn't respond. He turned and left, and Adam huffed and went back to cleaning the silverware in the dishwasher. His head was throbbing even more than before. He never wanted to see the man's face again if he could help it. He hoped he chased off the asshole for good.

Amanda returned from the back, noticing Adam's aggressive washing. She leaned against the counter. "Did I miss something?"

"Just some asshat," Adam growled, and Amanda turned as a new customer walked in.

"Welcome to Chance In Counter!" She beamed as if she truly meant it. Adam was envious of her phony smile. He would never understand her kind...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam finds out who the rich asshole is. There's a lot more sexual tension than expected.

By the time Adam's shift was over, he had plenty of time to get home and change into a comfortable outfit for his next job. He worked as a photographer for the local newspaper, and tonight there was an interview with a brain surgeon who was conducting some sort of major operation on a kid with cancer and it was big, big news. Everyone had all the faith in this doctor, and surely he would save the kid, hence why the interview was scheduled the night of the operation.

Adam scoffed to himself as he rummaged about his apartment, removing his work clothes and throwing on a t-shirt, jeans, and a flannel. _It would be just my luck if the doctor is the asswipe from this morning._

He made himself a quick ham sandwich, and after downing it grabbed his camera equipment and left, tossing it into his car and driving off to the massive skyscraper which housed the newspaper printing agency and the TV headquarters for the news station. Someone else would be filming the same interview for a special broadcast that night.

Adam lit a cigarette on the drive there, needing it to clear his head. He didn't want to be twitchy and irritable the entire time and so a smoke would do just the trick to ease his nerves. Once he pulled into the parking lot, he flicked ashes onto the pavement and stuck the cigarette between his lips, gathering his things and walking towards the glass sliding doors of the entrance. As he approached, he stubbed the cigarette on the ash tray on top of the trash and stuck the remaining cigarette into the trash can. He waited for the elevator, then yawned as he got on, rubbing the tears from his eyes and accidentally bumping into someone who was already inside.

"Sorry," he mumbled, blinking as he dropped his hand and going rigid. The man was staring at him with bright blue eyes.

"Dammit," Adam hissed, and stepped back with narrowed eyes. "Well, hello again," he smirked begrudgingly.

"I thought my headache from this morning was gone, but apparently not," the man scoffed, flicking his chin up. "Good evening, _Adam."_ He stressed Adam's name, which made Adam scrunch his eyebrows. He wasn't wearing his name tag anymore, and yet the man remembered his name. _... What a freak._

"Good evening... doctor," Adam raised his eyebrow at the man's white coat. "Forget to take it off or something?"

"No," the man stated, "I'm being interviewed as a doctor and they wanted me to wear the coat. To make me seem more doctor-like."

"Uh huh... are you the brain surgeon who saved some kid's life?" Adam inquired, not that he really cared, but his stomach was sinking at the thought of staring at this guy's face behind a camera for the next half hour.

"That's me," he beamed, but Adam knew it was just practice for the public. He blinked, disinterested and unfazed by the smile.

"You look dead," Adam pointed out. "But the smile... kinda helps. Maybe."

"Well, I did work on his brain for eight hours, so I'm not entirely refreshed," the doctor admitted, scratching the back of his head. "However I have to pretend." The elevator doors opened, and Adam followed him out. The man glanced over his shoulder. "Why are you...?"

Adam gestured to the bags on his shoulders. "Cameraman."

"Ah," he acknowledged, then turned and continued walking. Adam almost walked by his side, but he stayed a stride behind him.

"Just my luck that I have to photograph all those fake-ass grins for the next half hour," Adam grumbled, and the man only chuckled. It irked Adam. How high was this guy's ego?

"Anyone in the medicine industry would be honored," the man seemed to brag, but Adam knew it was just to piss him off. It worked. Adam's eyebrow twitched.

"Oh, goodie, maybe I could sell these prints to some thirsty whores," Adam snipped, but the doctor seemed to tense at his joke.

"Maybe you could," he grumbled, and they arrived inside the interviewing room.

"Dr. Gordon!" A reporter with a microphone waved his hand. "Come on in!"

"Lawrence is fine," the man said kindly, shaking hands with the reporter. "I'm honored to be here tonight."

"As you should be!" The reporter beamed and gestured towards the couch. "Please have a seat." Lawrence sat down and a few technicians rushed forward, attaching a small microphone to his white coat and making sure it was functioning. The cameraman began focusing on Lawrence's face, and Adam was pulling out his camera gear off to the side.

"Lawrence Gordon, huh..." Adam mumbled to himself under his breath, standing and focusing on Lawrence's face, taking a few test shots to see how he needed to adjust the contrast, flash, shutter speed and more. He lowered the lens, clicking through a few properties and raising the camera again. As he peered through the viewer, he flinched when Lawrence looked directly at him and smirked.

"Asshole," Adam mouthed and snapped pictures of his shitty smile, glaring at him once he removed the camera from his face. Lawrence seemed to be amused with the insult, and he moved his eyes elsewhere. "Stupid shit-eating grin," Adam cussed to himself, and shortly the interview began.

"This is Jim Sulaiman with ABC-7 News. Tonight we are here with Dr. Lawrence Gordon, a brain surgeon who saved the life of eight-year-old Ethan Hanover today. Ethan had a very serious brain tumor festering in his brain, but Dr. Gordon was able to remove it just in time. How does it feel, Dr. Gordon?" The reported asked excitedly, and Adam rolled his eyes. Such shit. He hated people like Lawrence, acting like they enjoyed saving lives... he clearly just wanted money. Everyone in this world won't do shit unless they are offered money... Lawrence would never save a kids life unless he was being paid thousands for it.

"It feels amazing," Lawrence breathed, and Adam almost groaned at the fake-ass gleam in his eye, but he snapped pictures regardless. "The feeling of satisfaction after finishing a successful operation is irreplaceable. It feels incredible to save a life, especially one so young and fragile." _Yeah, right._ Adam rolled his eyes. _Scumbag..._

"That sounds very rewarding," Jim, the reporter, nodded with interest. "How did you feel when you told Ethan's parents, Mr. Brian Hanover and Mrs. Abigail Hanover?"

"I felt blessed to tell them such wonderful news," Lawrence gushed. _Oh, for fucks' sake,_ Adam sighed and snapped more pictures. "They looked so, so tired and worried. I noticed their eyes were bloodshot from crying, however, I was more than happy to give them the news that brought them to tears of joy. It felt great to tell them their son would recover back to health within 12 weeks."

"So, will Ethan be back to his old self after that time?" Jim asked.

"He will," Lawrence confirmed. "He will be a little weak from all the weeks in bed rest, but once he's on his feet again he will go into physical therapy and slowly be back in shape. He is still young and by the time he becomes a teenager he will fit right in."

"That's wonderful to hear," Jim smiled, "About how many surgeries do you perform a year, Dr. Gordon?"

"Around forty to fifty a year," Lawrence responded, "And about... 160 to 180 spine surgeries a year. It's tedious hard work, but I would do anything to save lives." Adam almost gagged. _Such absolute bullshit._ He bit back a snarky remark, knowing damn well he'd get fired if he tried anything funny.

"About how long does each operation take?"

"Depending on the severity, it can be anywhere from three to 12 hours," Lawrence responded. "It's quite exhausting, but I have to be fully awake and focused every moment. One mistake can cost me a life, and I could not afford to risk any lives." _Yeah, right,_ Adam clicked his tongue from behind the camera. _He just doesn't want his paycheck to go down the drain._

"Wow!" Jim feigned shock, but he was very good at it. Maybe he was actually surprised. "Any secrets for staying awake so long?"

"Yeah, it's not really a secret, though," Lawrence chuckled lightheartedly, "Just some caffeine from the local coffee shop in the morning." Adam jumped when Lawrence shot him a look, as if they made eye contact through the camera lens. Adam shivered, feeling disgusted and violated. "Their cheerfulness in the morning always gets me going." No one else but Adam would understand that he was being painfully sarcastic. Adam narrowed his eyes. He wanted to smug the guy in his stupid smiling face.

"Oh, how refreshing," Jim responded, "So, to my understanding, you have work early again tomorrow, so we should wrap this up. It's almost dinner, after all!"

"It almost is," Lawrence beamed. "I can't wait to go home and hug my daughter after such a stressful operation. Saving a child's life reminds me just how much I love my own child, and how important it is to make sure another parent does not lose what's the most important to them."

"Thank you for the wonderful interview, Dr. Gordon," Jim turned back to the camera. "This is Jim Sulaiman, ABC-7 News. Back to you." And with that, the phony atmosphere faded. Lawrence seemed to sulk with his exhaustion, and Jim rubbed his eyes.

"It was nice working with you," Jim shook hands with Lawrence, and they exchanged polite goodbyes. As Adam was reviewing the shots, he looked up to see Lawrence smirking at him.

"What?" Adam's tone was sharp, but he kept his volume down so no one gave him any shit for being rude.

"The Americano was good, but it was just a bit too bitter," Lawrence commented, clearly not meaning the coffee, but rather Adam's grumpy morning attitude. "Maybe you shouldn't work at a coffee shop in the morning."

"Maybe you shouldn't tell me what to do and how to make money," Adam narrowed his eyes challengingly. "Sorry I don't make 500 grand every year."

"Almost on the dot, you're $20,000 short," Lawrence corrected with a snarky grin, "There's surely other jobs out there. I know the hospital's looking for janitors."

"Fuck off, Mr. Life-saver," Adam hissed, and Lawrence chuckled.

"See you tomorrow," Lawrence causally called over his shoulder, and Adam's head snapped to stare at his back.

"What the _fuck?"_ Adam had trouble tearing his eyes away from Lawrence's back as the doors closed behind him. "Who the fuck does he think he is?" _A wealthy brain surgeon,_ Adam thought to himself enviously. _Filthy rich old geaser..._

He packed up his camera gear but held the memory card in his hand, making his way to his respective office to drop the card off for processing. It wasn't his job to pick which picture was best- that was someone else's job, and they submitted the photograph to the newspaper and got it printed. Adam was rightfully credited in small font below the photo, which was his only concern.

On his way out, he lit another cigarette and got into his car, starting it up and pausing to inhale and exhale the smoke. He closed his eyes to relieve his headache and peeked them open again, sighing and glaring as a certain blond doctor got into the car a few spots away from him. It was a mercedes, naturally. Adam glanced at the interior of his own car, with some permanent stains and duct tape covering a hole in the passenger seat. It was an old, dirty black car that he got very cheap from a friend, and it barely started some days. He needed to fix the brakes cause they screeched every time he used them, but he never had the money...

"Fucking rich people," he grit his teeth and watched as Lawrence drove away, waiting before he drove off in the opposite direction.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lawrence returns the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short as hell (like the other chapters haven't been short, oops. Sorry.) but I will work on it.

Adam flipped the sign from 'Closed' to 'Open' on the cafe's door, and just as he got behind the counter, the door swung open. Startled, Adam stood up and turned around to face the early customer. "Welcome to- oh."

Lawrence grinned wide. "Good morning, Mr. Grumpy Gills."

"Since when do you watch fucking Disney films?" Adam glared and continued wiping the counter. Lawrence walked over and sat down, watching him.

"I have a 9 year old daughter," Lawrence stated matter-of-factly.

Adam gave Lawrence a look. "What a lucky wife."

"I suppose," Lawrence kept his tone light, but Adam noticed a shift in his expression. He figured it was a touchy subject, but he was curious.

"Got a picture?" He asked casually, leaning onto the counter. Lawrence paused and pulled out his wallet, showing him a perfect little scene- him with his arm around his wife and their daughter smiling wide between them.

"She's beautiful," Adam murmured, then looked back up. "Your daughter. Your wife, too, but…" He felt awkward. "Names?"

"Thanks," Lawrence pulled the wallet back and stuffed it back into his pocket. "My daughter is Diana. My wife is Alison."

"Nice name," Adam stood up straight, "Any reason why you guys picked Diana?"

"It was my grandmother's name," Lawrence responded, "And Ali liked the name."

"Ahh," Adam fell silent, feeling odd that they were making normal conversation. He cleared his throat. "What do you want to drink this morning, early riser?"

"Hmm," Lawrence lifted his eyes to the menu. "How about… an Almond Joy Latte. 12 oz."

Adam took note of his seated position. "For here?"

"Yep," Lawrence confirmed and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. His eyes followed Adam around as he prepared the drink. Adam kept shooting him looks and fidgeting about, wondering why Lawrence was staring at him so intensely.

"Why aren't you checking your phone like normal people," Adam narrowed his eyes as Lawrence smirked at him.

"Don't want to waste the battery so early in the day," Lawrence murmured, and Adam clicked his tongue.

"There's goddamn outlets," Adam's words made Lawrence look down, seeing the outlets by his knees.

"It's fun to aggravate you so early in the morning." Lawrence's statement made Adam flinch and glare at him.

"Wow," he scoffed, and placed the latte in front of Lawrence. "Gonna have to try a bit harder if you really wanna piss me off, old man."

"Old?" Lawrence raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of his latte. "How old are you, Adam?"

"Younger than your crusty ass," Adam sneered.

"Is 36 really that old?" Lawrence teased, and Adam looked over his shoulder.

"Dude, you were ten when I was born, that's old," Adam scrunched his nose, stepping out from behind the counter to wipe tables and fix the chairs.

"Heh, you're just a kid," Lawrence teased, and Adam shot him a glare.

"Shut up, old man."

Lawrence sipped on his latte, checking the time on his watch occasionally. As Adam wiped tables, he shot looks at Lawrence. _Why is he here so early?_ Adam thought irritably. Lawrence wasn't in a rush, clearly, and Adam figured he was there to bother him. _Annoying old geaser._

"Well, I gotta be in the office soon," Lawrence announced, setting down his cup. "Cash is on the table, no change needed. Take it as a tip, I know kids these days need them." He teased and Adam glared again.

"Thanks for your oh-so-kind donation to your local poor brat," Adam rolled his eyes. "Go save children's lives or whatever the hell you do."

Lawrence flashed him a grin before walking out. It made Adam shudder in disgust, and he went to the counter, his eyes widening at the crisp twenty dollar bill placed by the empty cup.

"What the fuck," he breathed, cashing in the $3.50 the latte cost and pocketing the remaining change. He tingled with happiness only briefly before gritting his teeth.

 _Stupid rich people…_ he shot a glare when the door opened, but had to drop his menacing expression when a young high school girl stepped inside. "Welcome to Chance In Counter."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get gayer and gayer. Lawrence is realizing he likes Adam more than he should. Adam is begrudgingly accepting Lawrence might be some sort of sex symbol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates are hard with school and college applications... but I will do what I can when I can. Unfortunately my other story gets more priority because there are simply more readers to it, and I'm further into it. But I will not abandon you, my lovelies. Chainshipping needs more love so I am here!

The following morning, Adam fidgeted more than usual around Lawrence. The twenty had saved his ass in more ways than Lawrence understood. It got him a decent meal that night that was something other than Chinese take out or greasy pizza, and had he not gotten the generous tip, he might of just skipped dinner altogether.

He wanted to thank Lawrence. But he was… well. A bit too proud. He didn’t want to appear like a thankful little beggar to Lawrence.

“An Iced French Vanilla, 20 oz, please,” Lawrence flashed a charming smile and Adam scoffed a little, but he saved the eye-roll for later and made the drink without more snarky comments.

“This is really good,” Lawrence hummed as he drank. It was in a plastic to-go cup, so Adam knew he had no reason to sit around. But he knew Lawrence was sitting around to piss him off.

“You know,” Adam crossed his arms and leaned against the counter, “There’s a coffee shop a few blocks down, much closer to the hospital. And they get more customers. I don’t understand why you don’t go there.”

“The wait line is long,” Lawrence explained around sips, “I hate waiting in lines. Plus, I’ve had their coffee, and it’s not as good as this, in my opinion.”

“Oh, put that in the newspaper and everyone will follow you here,” Adam looked at his nails, “You could say a landfill was a fantastic date spot and I bet like, at least 10 couples would actually go there because you said so.”

“I’m not a celebrity,” Lawrence chuckled a little self-consciously.

“You sure act like one in front of the camera,” Adam looked up from his fingers. “I would know.” He didn’t have to explain further. Lawrence twitched a little.

“Well, what if I’m just genuinely happy to be appreciated by people for saving lives, and it just so happens to show in photographs?” Lawrence challenged, and Adam snorted a little.

“Yeah, okay,” He walked away when another customer shuffled inside, taking their order and watching them leave before slouching again and giving Lawrence his usual scowl.

“You don’t make that face at anyone but me,” Lawrence observed, “What did I do to earn your distaste, your highness?”

“The fuck,” Adam scrunched his eyebrows. “I hate fake, filthy rich people like you.”

“But you just faked,” Lawrence pointed out. “You smiled for that customer. And you said thank you when you received the money, and wished him to have a good day. And it _reeked_ of fake.”

“Put a sock in it, dammit,” Adam snapped, gripping his fists. “It’s called earning a paycheck.”

“And sometimes I do the same thing,” Lawrence replied smoothly, but that made Adam even more furious.

“Oh, please,” Adam sneered, “Like you even need those paychecks like I do.”

Lawrence lifted an eyebrow at that, and Adam trembled a little, feeling exposed to him. The iced coffee was finished. Adam felt like a snarling chihuahua. 

“Well, then I’m off,” Lawrence stood, slipping a bill on the counter and turning abruptly. When Lawrence reached the door, he looked over his shoulder. “What, I don’t get one of those cute ‘have a nice day!’s from you?” 

“Fuck off!” Adam snapped and Lawrence only grinned, slipping out of the store and leaving Adam alone with the twenty on the counter again, making Adam feel the slightest tinge of warm thankfulness.

Then anger. How could he just throw around twenty’s like that? What an absolute stuck-up asshole.

Adam wiped the counters aggressively, with long circular motions. A really handsome, shit-eating asshole.

Adam ignored the ‘handsome’ part of his thoughts and made the next customer’s order.

—

It was stressful.

People running everywhere, phones ringing endlessly, papers fluttering and falling. Anxiety washed over the halls. For some reason, today was a hectic day, and Lawrence was swallowing down a massive headache.

He couldn’t even bear looking at his secretary, who for a while he flirted with- now, her face was an eyesore, and he wanted nothing with her big doe eyes and trembling lips. He dismissed her coldly more than once, and the guilt of hurting a lovely woman made his headache sting more.

As soon as his break was up, he stormed out of the building in drastic need of a coffee. He passed up the usual place and took a longer walk, allowing the crisp autumn air to distract him from the chaos today. It was bordering winter- he would need a heavier jacket soon.

He slowed his pace and strode into Chance in Counter, strangely excited to see the pouty face of the kid that worked here. He wanted someone to talk to about anything, anything at all besides the old man recovering from a stroke who might have another one or the pregnant woman in danger of having a premature birth. 

But his eyes did not meet the soft green he was used to, or the scrunched eyebrows and crossed arms. He saw a clean-looking man with brown hair combed to the side and a set of glasses on the bridge of his nose, greeting him with a refreshing smile.

It did anything but lift his mood. In fact, his heart stuttered to slow itself down from its racing pace and sunk low. He recovered from the pause he had in the doorway and slowly walked over, ordering a simple espresso to-go and left quickly.

Note taken: Adam only worked mornings. 

Lawrence’s headache was still stinging when he returned to the office, and the chaos was bustling just as it was when he left.

—

When Adam got home for the evening, he found the heater broken. For now, it was bearable, but within a week or two, it would need to be fixed. 

Worse, he opened his fridge to find that the battery died and his leftovers went spoiled.

There goes his eighteen-dollar tip down the drain.

Son of a bitch.

—

Adam felt like hell the next morning. Every movement felt like he was wading through quicksand. His feet were heavy, like anchors were tied to them. His eyes stung with exhausted tears and his head was murky and slow. He managed to frighten a few customers with his face and clouded eyes, and the wrinkles between his eyebrows became even more tightly pinched when Lawrence crept inside.

Surprisingly, he looked just as shitty.

“Well, you look like you crawled out of the gutter this morning,” Adam huffed, slouching against the counter.

“How hypocritical,” Lawrence chirped back, then ordered a 12 oz. caramel mocha. Adam was too tired to deal with his mockery shit, so he made the drink, shoved it in front of him and busied himself with drying plates.

“So what made your night a pain in the ass?” Lawrence asked after sipping on his drink a few times. Adam stopped his movement in drying the plates, then sighed and continued.

“Struggles you could never understand as a rich asshat,” Adam dismissed. “Things like a broken heater and a dead fridge battery that can’t be fixed with a few wrinkled dollar bills and laundry change.” He glanced over his shoulder. “And what are your problems, hm?”

“Work was busy,” Lawrence sighed, “Patients that are all close to death with risky procedures… all at once. It caused stress everywhere. So when I finally got home with a killer migraine, my wife decided it was a good time to lecture me on my dedication to my work and guilt-trip me about our daughter.”

“Hmm,” Adam hummed as he set down a dried cup. “Seems our issues are drastically different.” He tried to sound bored on purpose.

Lawrence was quiet for a moment as Adam shuffled around, finished drying the dishes and spraying the countertops with disinfectant and wiping it in wide ovals with a rag.

“I have an idea,” Lawrence stated. Adam looked up at him, greenish eyes peeking through his dark bangs.

“Spit it out, Einstein,” Adam sighed.

“Let’s go drink together!” 

Adam looked up at him with an eyebrow arched. The man who looked so exhausted five minutes earlier was now flashing an award-winning smile and lacing his fingers together eagerly.

“You want to go get smashed with me,” Adam drawled, “The guy who… serves you coffee in the morning.”

“Yeah!” Lawrence seemed set that his idea was a good one. “We both have shit going on. It’s different shit, but we both need a drink, don’t you think?”

Adam scoffed. “I can hardly afford a pizza, which would be my meal for a week. Like hell I’m gonna go blow my minimum wage for a hangover.”

“I’ll pay for it,” Lawrence chipped, “Come on. Let’s just try it. And if you don’t want a hangover, don’t drink so much. Just one drink.”

“Easier said than done,” Adam rolled his eyes. Lawrence looked like a puppy wagging his tail. “Fine, whatever, you moron. One drink.”

Lawrence’s grin stretched wider. “I’ll see you tonight, then, at ten!” He stood up and began collecting his things when Adam spoke up.

“What the hell?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you an idiot? How the hell am I supposed to know where to go?”

“The bar across the street?” Lawrence tilted his head to the wide window that showed the busy street, where directly across sat the bar, Babylon. 

Adam felt himself flush a bit in embarrassment. “Like I was supposed to know. Fine. I’ll be there.”

Lawrence scurried out and made his way to work, leaving Adam alone blushing a little stupidly to himself with Amanda crawling over to him, smirk wide on her face.

“Shut the fuck up,” Adam growled before Amanda even said anything. Amanda giggled and turned around, attending to the customer who had just entered. He did a double take at her presence, realizing he completely forgot she was there most of the times Lawrence came. 

He realized he hardly did anything but talk to Lawrence when Lawrence came. He almost forgot to serve other people.

It was almost like… he forgot the whole world when he talked to Lawrence.

Adam’s brain stilled for a moment, his heart speeding up- but before it could get ahead of itself, Adam just grumbled to himself and convinced himself it was because Lawrence was a naturally attention-seeking whore with a bright-ass smile and perfect eyes that crinkled a little in the corners and soft blond hair and sexy broad shoulders-

Adam shook his head. He was a goddamn idiot. Him, and Lawrence, too.

—

“Remind me why I’m here,” Adam’s greeting was sour as usual as he plopped down in the bar stool next to Lawrence, slouching over the counter. Lawrence turned to him and smiled a stupid pretty smile.

“You actually came!” Lawrence cheered a little, raising his glass. “I got you some, too.”

“Jee whiz,” Adam regarded sarcastically. The glass was set before Adam, and he lifted it, taking a swig. It wasn’t extremely strong, but it had a kick. It tasted slightly of apple juice, and recognition settled in Adam’s conscience.

“Cider?” Adam raised an eyebrow, and Lawrence nodded, sipping more of his drink. Adam shrugged. He wouldn’t admit Lawrence got something he absolutely loved.

“Heres to life struggles and still making it every day,” Lawrence lifted his glass, and Adam clinked it slowly, giving Lawrence a funny look. Like he knew what suffering truly was. They drank and set down their glasses in unison, sighing and glancing at one another.

“Do you do this often?” Adam fixed his eyes on Lawrence after a moment of silence.

“What, go drink?” Lawrence tilted his head.

“Well, yeah, but,” Adam gestured to himself. “Do you usually drink with buddies?”

“I drink alone,” Lawrence moved his gaze from Adam’s face. “I don’t necessarily have what you’d call buddies to drink with, anyways.”

“So you have no friends,” Adam got straight to the point, making Lawrence flinch visibly.

“Yes, I have no friends,” Lawrence admitted sorely, and Adam snickered a little.

“That’s awfully depressing, Mr. Millionaire,” Adam rested his head on his palm, leaning his elbow on the bar. “Must be lonely with no one but your money.”

“At least I have money,” Lawrence snipped, and Adam’s blood rushed cold for a second. 

That was a low blow. He was just about to get angry when Lawrence’s gaze softened.

“I’m sorry… that’s not what I should of said,” he admitted. “I’m sorry. We’re both stressed out and pissed off about different things.”

Adam accepted the apology silently and took another sip of his drink. “Tell me about it,” he grumbled.

“Where do you live, anyways?” Lawrence asked, making Adam turn to him. He specified the name of the apartment complex.

“There?” Lawrence seemed a bit surprised, but almost like he was expecting something like that. “Oh…”

“It’s a piece of shit building,” Adam swayed his feet back and forth. “An actual shithole is what it is. Satan’s armpit.”

“Such colorful comparisons,” Lawrence chuckled a little, and Adam shrugged.

“It’s true,” he muttered, “If you ever set foot there, you’ll know what I’m saying.”

Even though Adam was painting his place to be the worst ever, Lawrence was intrigued to go see it. His whole life was surrounded with middle class wealth. Everything was provided for him, and when he had to provide for himself it was easy because he got himself a well-paying job. He never had a best friend after college. He never had the fun times kids usually have, messing around in sketchy places and getting into trouble.

Adam, however, seemed just like the kind of person that still did those things. 

Adam blinked, fidgeting under Lawrence’s stare. “What the hell are you looking at so weirdly?”

“I’m just thinking,” Lawrence responded truthfully, finally looking at Adam’s eyes rather than spacing out in his general direction, noticing how they were mostly green but with little flecks of brown, like the earth. They were… nice.

“About what?” Adam pressed.

“You,” Lawrence blurted before he could stop himself. Adam tensed, his ears burning hot and his cheeks quickly following. His heart thudded his chest and he looked away quickly.

“W-what…” he managed to stutter out before Lawrence spoke again.

“I was thinking,” he started a little shakily, embarrassed by his own choice of words, “that you were the kind of person who got into trouble for fun as a kid. Who messed around with his buddies and got high and destroyed property.”

“Your point?” Adam looked back at him again, his blush fainter now, his eyes curious.

“I’ve never done that stuff,” Lawrence admitted softly. “I’ve always been a straight-A student, disciplined and, well, boring.” He shifted in his seat. “I’ve never had fun like you have.”

“And look where that fun got me,” Adam bitterly gestured to himself. “A nearly homeless bag of bones who can’t even pay for his own fucking drink.”

Lawrence didn’t know what to say to that at first, but he decided to speak his true thoughts in that moment. “My life may seem perfect to you, but in a way, I wish we could switch places. I’d rather be a borderline bum if it meant I could be free and do stupid shit and laugh at nothing. Instead I’ve got a reputation to hold for the public. I have to pretend to love a woman who despises me. I have to tell my daughter I love her mother when my words are empty.”

Adam was fixated on Lawrence now. “Why not get-“

“A divorce?” Lawrence turned to Adam, meeting his eyes and finishing his sentence. “Because we don’t want to make Diana feel like she needs to pick sides-“

“Bullshit,” Adam snapped, making Lawrence stop in his tracks. He stared at Adam, and Adam stared back at him, a fire in his green eyes. “Kids aren’t stupid little fucks like you think they are. They know shit. They sense things like fucking dogs do. I bet you anything she knows already whats up between you and your wife. And guess what? When you split up, your daughter will live with one of the two of you, and see the other on weekends or whatever the fuck you guys work out. But remember this. She will always love both of you because you are her parents. She would rather see her mother happy and her father happy even if its not with each other. It probably stresses her out to feel that tension every day at home. She probably would rather be at a friend’s house because home is full of fights and negativity. So suck it the fuck up and divorce already. Cowards like you piss me off.”

With that, Adam turned and chugged the rest of his drink. Lawrence was at a loss for words, his eyes wide and his throat dry. Fuck, Adam was right, completely right, and Lawrence didn’t know how to process the information that was spewed at him so quickly.

Instead, he turned and drank the rest of his own drink.

“Good man,” Adam acknowledged when Lawrence decided to drink rather than argue, and Lawrence shot him a grin.

Maybe they could get along in their own strange way.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam realizes with despair he MAY have a small crush on the idiotic rich doctor who got coffee there every morning. Lawrence may be mistaking excitement for making a friend with developing romantic feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, another update! Sorry it's shorter this time, but I want to move this along. I'm bursting with ideas. But those ideas come later in the story and I just wanna get there. So... anyways, let's do the cute crushing feelings first. :)

It was early Sunday morning and Lawrence showed up a little later than his usual time, but the fact he showed up at all surprised Adam. He was chatting with Amanda when Lawrence came in, and Adam forgot all words he was speaking to Amanda a heartbeat before.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Adam turned to face him. “It’s Sunday, you know.”

“i know,” Lawrence flashed a smile, and Adam’s eyebrow twitched. “I decided to come here to do some work.”

“You want to bother me and work on the one day you don’t actually work or have to bother me,” Adam tried to process Lawrence’s strange decision making, but Lawrence only chuckled and sat down, pulling out his laptop and a file folder. 

“I’ll have a banana nut latte, 20 oz. please,” Lawrence said without a glance at the menu. Adam rolled his eyes and walked over to the coffee machine, preparing everything necessary for his latte.

As he was sprinkling hazelnut shavings onto the top, Amanda slid up next to him and grinned. Adam glared at her over his shoulder.

“What the fuck are you making that stupid face at,” Adam stepped away from her, trying to create space, but she followed.

“Nothing,” Amanda hummed, “But you realize he watches you.”

“What the hell?” He blinked. “That sounds creepy as fuck.”

“Not in a creepy way,” Amanda pointed out. “More like in a… ‘damn, look at that ass’ way.”

Adam flushed red and walked over, setting the latte down in front of Lawrence, who said thanks and was too absorbed in his work already to notice how Adam spun on his heel and stalked over to Amanda, bristling with small pinpricks of heat.

“He’s fucking married, Amanda,” he snapped, “With a daughter. He’s straight. Don’t even try to get my hopes up.”

“He’s getting a divorce sometime, isn’t he?” Amanda challenged, speaking in a soft voice so they didn’t grab Lawrence’s attention. “And who said he can’t be bisexual?”

“For Christ’s sake, Amanda…” Adam ran a hand through his hair. “He’s rich as hell, good looking, and for some reason likes my company. But still, there’s no fucking way he wants to bone me.”

“Tell me that in a couple weeks,” Amanda shrugged and attended to the teenagers who stumbled into the shop. Adam scoffed at her and walked back over towards Lawrence, settling in his usual spot where he talked to Lawrence when he realized Lawrence was probably busy working. He was in the zone and Adam should leave him alone.

He calmly stood and went out to the cafe, grabbing his trusty spray bottle and rag and wiping down all of the tables.

Lawrence was indeed absorbed in his work. He only had two paragraphs to go and he was already finished with one of his reports. After this, he could work on the other project…

He typed away quickly until he swallowed and felt a little dryness. He reached over and sipped his coffee, and in the corner of his eye caught movement. He glanced in the direction and saw Adam, watching him curiously as he wiped tables around the cafe.

Adam was wiping one of the larger tables, and he was stretching his arm as far as he could to wipe the other side, but failing to reach it. He scooted around the table, cussing under his breath and reaching, reaching- and he leaned a bit further, and Lawrence’s eyes trailed down a little, staring at the way his ass was tight against his pants, how the fabric stretched around his curves and only got tighter when he leaned over farther-

And Lawrence set down his coffee and forced his face back to the screen.

Two paragraphs. Two paragraphs. Only a few sentences. Adam’s ass. Two-

Lawrence felt himself flush a little. What the hell was he even thinking?

He shyly looked back at Adam again, wondering if he could get another look, but this time Adam was facing him and he noticed. Adam’s eyes met his own.

“What?” Adam called, and Lawrence shook his head and looked back to his work. Two paragraphs. Adam wasn’t cute, or anything. His hair wasn’t cute because it was a little out of place and it didn’t look soft or anything like that…

How long had he been paused on two paragraphs?

Sighing, Lawrence finally began typing again.

Meanwhile, Adam kept his head ducked low to hide the flaming red spreading across his face. Lawrence was definitely watching his ass when he bent over. There was no mistake, at all.

Mentally, Adam was revolted. But his heart was pounding and his face was tingling with a hot red flush and his hands were shaking like he had just discovered what a crush felt like.

This was the last thing Adam wanted. He didn’t want feelings, especially not for a hot, rich, annoying, stuck-up married and presumably heterosexual doctor. 

Well, the doctor may have a thing for Adam’s ass, but Adam was trying to forget that for his own sanity. Of course, the effort was pitiful. He could only replay the moment when he felt eyes on him, and when he glanced back Lawrence was staring at his ass like a hungry predator and Adam gulped and had an itching desire to bend over further and make him _pounce._

When Adam returned to the cashier, Amanda had seen it all and she had nothing to say, so she just gave Adam a look, winked, and stepped aside to make a fresh batch of baked goods. Adam gave her a nervous glance, too flustered to even snap at her for her teasing.

He took the next orders with little grace, and he may have almost dropped a cup twice, but he managed with only a few funny looks and offers of help. Eventually, once the morning traffic died down, Lawrence beckoned him over. Adam’s stomach did a little flip, but he mentally slapped himself and walked over, trying to appear more confident than he felt.

“Could you come over and read this paragraph?” Lawrence’s request was strange to Adam, but he walked around the counter anyways.

“I doubt I’ll understand shit, but whatever,” Adam grumbled, scooting over to look at his screen. He expected Lawrence to move a little to give Adam space to poke his head in, but he didn’t budge. For that reason, their cheeks brushed and Adam immediately shied away, feeling his skin tingle at the sensation. He reminded himself to breathe and he read the paragraph.

Though, it was near to impossible for him to concentrate with Lawrence’s presence directly next to him, his skin lightly brushing Adam’s cheek, his cologne making Adam’s heart sway a little. Even if he was concentrating, he wouldn’t understand a thing, so he slowly backed away slightly and turned to face Lawrence.

“I don’t know what it means, but it makes sense, I guess,” Adam tried, “From my depressing lack of grammatical knowledge, it… seems okay.” He straightened up and scratched the back of his head.

“Alright, that’s sort of what I needed anyways,” Lawrence smiled, “Thanks.”

Goddamn butterflies.

“Whatever,” Adam shrugged and walked back around the counter, continuing to mess around with whatever he could mess around with before someone else made an order.

When Adam left his side, Lawrence’s gaze lingered on him. He really didn’t have a reason for Adam to read the paragraph. He just wanted to have Adam close to him for a moment and see what it felt like. Lawrence liked the way Adam seemed shy around him, he liked that Adam smelled like laundry and coffee (naturally), he liked that Adam tried to help Lawrence even with their cranky exchanges and his lack of understanding of the difficult concepts Lawrence wrote about.

It was cute. All of it was so sickeningly cute, and Lawrence was trying to wrap his head around why he felt this way.

As far as he knew, he had been heterosexual his entire life. But on the flip side, he’s never really had so much fun with someone before. The conversations, the time they drank together- they’re the most exciting things Lawrence thinks he’s ever experienced, and he feels like its not the act of talking or the act of drinking, but its doing those things _with_ Adam. Something about Adam makes his world a bit more lively and intriguing than before.

Lawrence shook his head a little. He felt really stupid, thinking the guy that served him coffee every morning was changing his life in some way. They’ve only known each other for a little over a week. Maybe he really was pathetic for having no friends and getting overly giddy when he finally got one.

Was that what Adam was? A friend?

Lawrence looked up at the dark-haired barista, who had pulled out his phone and was tapping something into it, looking at the screen with determined green eyes.

_So cute…_

Lawrence felt his heart backflip and he forced his eyes back to the screen, deciding he’d finish his work before he stared at Adam pointlessly. That’s what he came to do, after all.

When he finished, he made sure to taunt Adam a little more, get him all riled up and made his leave before lunchtime was up. Little did he know Adam had stayed overtime, waiting until Lawrence left before taking off the apron and heading down the street to the hot dog stand for lunch.

He could of left an hour ago, but he stayed. Amanda knew, and she only said something when Lawrence left, making Adam realize the extent of his crush.

He was fucked. Really, really fucked.

Hopefully literally fucked sometime, but Adam would leave this mental images for another day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They keep getting gayer and gayer and gayer. I really don't know what else to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never thought I would google "funny adult dirty jokes."

Lawrence walked into the cafe with dark circles under his eyes, a crooked tie and a deep sigh leaving his lips.

“Double shot of espresso,” he spoke flatly, and Adam simply stood and stared at him.

“Well fuck,” Adam breathed, “You look like The Walking Dead.”

“Need I say thanks for the observation, Captain Obvious?” Lawrence nearly growled. “Just give me my coffee.”

“Yikes,” Adam turned away tenderly, going to make the order. “Someone had a hellish night.”

“You don’t even want to know,” Lawrence sat down in his stool slowly, as if his entire body was aching with the effort of sitting.

“How much sleep did you get?” Adam asked over his shoulder while tending to the expresso-in-progress.

“Not enough,” Lawrence mumbled, then scoffed a little. “I can’t even remember. I recall laying down some time close to two-thirty. But I don’t remember ever actually sleeping. It was like, my eyes were closed, but when I opened them again after about what felt like two minutes, it was five and my alarm was gonna go off in three minutes.” 

“Those nights are shit,” Adam admitted. “Must’ve been a hard day at work.”

“It was the usual, I guess,” Lawrence said softly, but when Adam looked at him again, Lawrence had his eyes on the counter, and he seemed… gloomy. No, more than gloomy. Very, deeply troubled.

Adam felt a stir of concern. He slid the coffee to Lawrence, who thanked him softly and tipped the cup against his lips, taking in the caffeine in hopes of waking up. 

“Hey…” Adam said softly, feeling his heart thump when Lawrence lifted his tired eyes to Adam’s. The usual bright, charming sky blue was dull and watery. “I… uh…” Adam’s throat felt tight, and he swallowed, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. His ears burned with searing heat. His cheeks soon followed, and he clenched his fists. “I-I’m here for you, if you need… anything…” Adam was ready to strangle himself to shut himself up. “Like… i-…. if you need me to listen or… something…”

Holy hell, was Adam an idiot. He felt his whole face flaming with red hot embarrassment, so he stood up and cleared his throat, turning his face away. Lawrence was staring at him with wide eyes and an almost hopeful shine in them. 

“Adam…”

The sound of his name made Adam turn slightly. He raised a hand to cover his mouth and coughed awkwardly, hoping to hide his flushed face a little with his fingers.

“Thank you,” Lawrence smiled gently- a weak smile, yet a genuine one. “That means so much to me.” _Hell, weak smile my ass,_ Adam thought, his saliva suddenly thick and hard to swallow. _His entire fucking face lit up like the sun and I think I’ve been blinded with its beauty. Fuck me sideways, these are the gayest thoughts I’ve had all week. Year. Life. Whatever-_

“Holy shit, shut up,” Adam cut off his internal rant with a small whine, turning away and feeling a searing hot sensation flush through his neck and face again. “You’re so goddamn sappy.”

“I didn’t think you were the kind of person who cared about ‘rich assholes’ like me, Adam,” Lawrence teased, his usual smirk on his lips once again. “You seemed like you wanted to chop my head off when I came back here after our first encounter.”

“I did want to chop your idiotic head off and I still do,” Adam snipped defensively, stalking over to the cash register and taking someone else’s order, leaving Lawrence to chuckle to himself and sip on his coffee. 

When Lawrence set his cup down, he watched Adam as he took a customer’s order. Watched the way Adam’s eyes flicked up at their face and down at the cash register, how his fingers tapped at the keys and buttons, how he rubbed his lips together and the casual way he went about making coffee, like he was making it for a friend he invited inside his home. 

What Adam said had deeply touched Lawrence. He never realized it, but no one had ever told him what Adam just told him.

_‘I’m here for you if you need anything. If you need someone to listen, I’m here.’_

Between the stammers and fidgets, Lawrence knew exactly what Adam meant by his words and hit made his heart soar. His parents surely would be there if he needed them, but Lawrence never had the deep connection to his parents that some kids did. He feared them in a way. He respected them too much to ask them for help over petty issues like stress or social drama- not that he ever had any social drama, because he did not have enough friends in the first place.

His wife never said anything like that to him. They were attracted to each other, he knew she was a hard worker and a good mother, she made him laugh. That was all a marriage needed, right? 

But lately, hence Lawrence’s rough night and morning, they have been fighting. Neither of them flat out said it, but Lawrence knew he and Alison had fallen out of love. There was no sparks in their relationship, no desire to sleep together, and Alison may not know it but Lawrence had slept with other women in the past few months to release stress.

Their bickering last night was so awkward that Lawrence didn’t even hold her when they went to bed that night. Not that they had cuddled for weeks, anyways.

Lawrence noticed Adam twitching about, as if debating to come over or not. Lawrence had a big stupid smile on his face because he felt like he just made his first true friend and maybe that’s why he was so happy. Maybe that’s why he felt a fluttering feeling in his heart and warmth blossoming on his skin. He has never felt true friendship, really, so… this must be it. 

As for the fleeting glances at Adam’s backside, or the way his heart seemed to stutter when their eyes stayed connected for a second too long…

… Friendship didn’t seem like the right word, but he flinched when Adam spoke.

“Your coffee’s gonna get cold,” Adam muttered. Despite the soft and quiet tone Adam used, Lawrence had still jumped a bit, having been deep in thought. Adam gave him a funny look, and Lawrence ignored it, sipping at his coffee idly. It was still warm.

“I feel better now,” Lawrence announced after setting the empty cup down, gathering his things and standing up. “Thanks, Adam.”

“Wha-“ Adam sputtered, “What did I do?”

Lawrence smiled over his shoulder, but was at a loss for words. He simply left the shop, leaving Adam fluttery and confused.

“Weird old man…” Adam grumbled to himself. blushing stupidly and failing to notice Amanda smirking next to him.

“You like his crusty ass, though,” she giggled, and Adam whipped around.

“Amanda, his ass is not crusty,” Adam snipped, and she raised an eyebrow. Adam quickly flared up again. “Not that I’ve ever seen it, fuck!”

“You wish,” Amanda teased, smacking his shoulder and striding away, leaving Adam to rub the spot where it stung and glare daggers at her back. 

Now he was thinking about Lawrence’s ass and it was all Amanda’s fault.

—

The next day, Lawrence had the stupidest smile plastered on his face. Adam blinked at him slowly.

“Stop doing that,” Adam pointed at his smile. “It’s weird.”

“I wanna tell you something,” Lawrence’s smile only widened. Adam fixed him with a look, then turned, remembering he was holding a damp rag to wipe the counter with. He began cleaning it with circular motions.

“Spit it out, old man,” Adam gave in. Lawrence may have giggled a little in excitement, making Adam twitch a little. What grown man giggles?

“What do you say when you’re gonna drunk dial someone?”

Adam paused his movements and stared at Lawrence, who was holding his Snickers mocha to his lips to hide his stupidly perfect smile.

“What the fuck?” Adam turned to face him. “Are you telling me a joke?”

“Just go along with it,” Lawrence urged, and Adam rolled his eyes.

“Fine. What the fuck do you say when you’re gonna drunk dial someone.”

“Al-cohol you!” Lawrence seemed far too excited to drop the joke.

Adam stared at him blankly. “You’re so fucking stupid.”

“Oh my god, please, that was funny,” Lawrence protested between bouts of laughter.

“That was a shitty joke,” Adam shook his head, snickering slightly. “I have better ones.”

“Oh yeah?” Lawrence challenged. Adam shot him a look.

“What, you don’t believe me?” Adam’s eyes narrowed, and Lawrence lifted his chin.

“No,” he stated confidently. “Show me what you’ve got.”

Adam stuck his tongue in his cheek and smiled at him, shaking his head. “Alright, fine, fine. What’s the difference between pink and purple?”

Lawrence stared at him blankly, awaiting the answer.

“The grip.”

Lawrence was silent for a long time. Adam was smirking at him.

“Wait,” Lawrence’s mind seemed to figure it out. “Did- did you just-“

“Make a dick joke?” Adam finished, and Lawrence seemed slightly flustered.

“You bet your ass I did,” Adam’s smirk only got more wicked, and Lawrence laughed awkwardly at first, then more towards a nervous laugh.

“What’s the difference between a roast beef sandwich and a blow job?” Adam dropped another one as he continued to wipe the counters, and Lawrence sputtered a bit.

“Ah, uh…” he seemed to actually think about it. “There isn’t one?”

“You don’t know?” Adam looked up at him with a surprisingly sultry look. “So… you wanna do lunch tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Lawrence responded quickly, making Adam’s eyes widen. Lawrence nearly spilled his drink.

“I-I mean, to lunch,” he confirmed, but Adam was quickly turning red. “The roast beef part! The actual food!”

“Uh… oh,” Adam’s heart was slamming his chest. “I… okay? You don’t have work?”

“I have a thing called a lunch break,” he smiled. “You know where I work. Wait by the front door, I’ll be there at 11:30.”

“Wait, did I actually just ask you on a lunch date,” Adam laughed at his own situation. “I was just telling a shitty joke and it actually became a thing.”

“I knew the joke, but I decided to take advantage of the situation and use it as an excuse to get food with you,” Lawrence explained, gathering his briefcase and finishing his drink. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Adam.”

Adam just watched him leave silently, his heart doing confused flips. They were going on a date tomorrow. An actual date, the first time they’ve gone out since that night at the bar.

For some reason, Adam was extremely excited for it.

—

This was the second time Lawrence would see him out of his uniform and in his own clothes, which consisted of t-shirts and flannels with baggy jeans. Nothing special, but Adam felt much more conformable and less… obligated to do things. He looked lazy so he felt better about his lazy attitude.

Lawrence came out of the sliding glass doors not long after Adam had been waiting there, and their eyes met immediately. Not because Adam had been looking at the door excitedly every time someone walked out, or anything like that…

“Oh, you’re here,” Lawrence regarded with a smooth voice, and Adam narrowed his eyes.

“Like I would stand you up,” he huffed. “Where are we going to eat?”

“I was thinking the sandwich place just down the block,” Lawrence nodded towards the street corner. “They have some good roast beef. Not the kind from your joke.”

Adam huffed a bit at that. “Alright, sounds good.” They began to walk and chat. Lawrence talked about work, Adam talked about his other job being a photographer. He hasn’t had many photo ops lately as he would of liked, not much after the interview with Lawrence, but he has had small tasks here and there. He was hoping for another big story to photograph soon. It was a job he truly enjoyed doing.

Adam kept his hands tucked under his arms as he walked, shoulders rounded forward and body swaying. Lawrence walked smoothly, in a perfectly straight line. They looked like a completely mismatched pair, with Adam wearing jeans with holes in them and ancient tennis shoes while Lawrence’s expensive polished black dress shoes clicked against the sidewalk and his pale blue dress shirt had not a single wrinkle in it. His hair was perfectly combed and Adam’s was ruffled with the wind. He was cleanly shaven, Adam was a little prickly and needed a shave sometime soon. 

They really were polar opposites, but Lawrence was gazing at him with warm glittering blue eyes and Adam was squirming under that warmth, but he was blushing and secretly enjoying the affection Lawrence seemed to have for him.

Once at the sandwich shop, Lawrence had a stupid smile on his face.

“Okay, you’ve been on this joke thing for a few days and I know that shitty smile, so spit it out,” Adam got straight to the point, fixing Lawrence with an unamused stare. 

“If you had a donkey, and I had a chicken, and your donkey ate my chicken… what will you have?” Lawrence fixed Adam with an inquisitive look as Adam took a huge bite of his sandwich.

“Whut,” Adam’s response was muffled with his sandwich. He was too distracted with the taste to really figure out what was coming.

“Three feet of my cock up your ass.”

Adam began choking and immediately doubled over his plate, slamming his hand to his chest as he forced himself to swallow his sandwich and hack out the air he inhaled far too quickly. The entire restaurant was staring at them, and Adam’s face was flaming red.

“Fuck,” Adam snapped, looking furious one moment, but then he smiled the biggest smile and laughed, hanging his head and trying to control the tears that gathered in his eyes from choking and now from laughter. Adam just went through an insane process of amazement, extreme embarrassment, maybe some really explicit mental images, and uncontrollable laughter caused by the stupidity of the joke, the fact it came from Lawrence’s sophisticated doctor mouth, and from nerves all at once.

Lawrence was laughing like an idiot too, but he was really captivated by how Adam’s small shoulders shook with laughter, how he had dimples, Adam had _dimples_ and they were the cutest fucking things, how he closed his eyes when he laughed, and how his eyelashes were actually quite thick and really pretty- he could never really see them when Adam avoided eye contact quite often.

Once the laughter died down, Adam shook his head and wiped at his dried tears. “Fuck, Lawrence. Did you go google lame ass dirty jokes last night or some shit?”

“Did not,” Lawrence defended, and Adam rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, right,” he was still smiling and his cheeks hurt from being unable to stop. 

He hadn’t laughed that hard in a long, long time, and it felt really nice, and Lawrence’s face was quite nice, too. Adam only realized he had been staring when Lawrence tilted his head questioningly at him, and Adam cleared his throat, blushing a bit and focusing on his food again.

They would have to make this a habit.

—

“I need your help,” Lawrence skipped morning greetings when he walked into the shop one morning. Adam was already making him an Au Lait, since Lawrence always got Au Laits on Tuesdays.

“What, do you need someone to fuck off? Cause I can tell people to fuck off,” Adam informed Lawrence as he poured the coffee into its cup.

“No,” Lawrence sat down at the counter. “My daughter’s birthday is coming up in a few days and we’re planning a party, but I’m sort of at a loss for ideas.”

“Well,” Adam set the coffee down on a small saucer plate, then brought it to Lawrence and set it down on the counter before him, “She’s going to be…?”

“Nine.”

“Okay,” Adam nodded, “Well, what the fuck do nine year olds like?”

“I… I don’t know, like…” Lawrence scrunched his eyebrows. “She likes music a lot more lately. She likes books… reading… she still loves horses.”

“So get her a book on horses,” Adam shrugged. “Problem solved.”

“We need to plan a party,” Lawrence shook his head. “We already got presents.”

“Why don’t you just ask her what she wants to do?” Adam rolled his eyes. “Seriously, it’s not that hard.”

“I guess…” Lawrence sighed, still fiddling with his fingers. “I was. Uh… wondering.”

He was quiet until Adam met his gaze. Once their eyes met, Lawrence sucked a breath in. “I was wondering if you could take pictures at the party.”

There was a brief period of silence before Lawrence added, “I’ll pay you $200 if you stay for an hour.”

“Holy fuck, slow down,” Adam tensed up, his heart instantly racing at the prospect of so much money for only an hour of sitting around at a kids party. “That’s… uh…”

“You don’t have to,” Lawrence spoke quickly, “I can make it $300.”

“Larry, fucking stop for a second,” Adam held up his hands. “I don’t need to be paid that much. Shit.”

Lawrence got a bit flustered at being called Larry, but he shut his mouth in anticipation. Adam sighed. His puppy eyes were too hard to reject.

“I’ll do it,” Adam mumbled, and Lawrence’s face lit up like a christmas tree. Adam felt his heart thud his chest. Lawrence seriously needed to stop doing that all the time. It would kill Adam one day.

“Thank you so much, Adam,” Lawrence seemed eternally grateful and Adam flushed at the emotion heavy in his voice.

“Whatever… so when is it?” Adam asked.

“Saturday,” Lawrence seemed charged with excitement now. “From one to six. But you can leave early if you need to.”

“No, I’ll stay,” Adam decided, and felt himself melt a little when Lawrence smiled again. Why did this man have to be so goddamn charming?

“Really?”

“That’s what I said, dumbass,” Adam grumbled. “Now get to work, it’s almost time for you to leave.”

Lawrence didn’t protest and got his things, finished his drink and practically skipped to the door.

“Have a good day at work,” Adam called out mechanically, “See you at lunch.” He then continued cleaning the dishes. Amanda was standing there, her jaw hanging open.

“What the hell are you looking at?” Adam asked without even glancing at her.

“You guys are like a goddamn married couple,” She breathed. “‘Have a good day at work!’ What the hell was that, Adam!?”

“Did—“ Adam stopped, dropping the soapy dish into the water-filled sink. “Did I… really say that?”

“Yes!” Amanda gaped at him. “I’m surprised you didn’t add ‘honey’ at the end!”

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Adam felt his entire body flush with embarrassed heat, and he tried his best to ignore Amanda’s consistent teasing all morning and stay strong until lunch time with Lawrence.

Saturday was only a few days away, and Adam was already filled with excitement to meet the daughter Lawrence was so proud of, so fond of. She must be an angel from the way Lawrence regarded her.

With a hint of nervousness, he realized he would be meeting his wife, too.

Well, that would be… awkward.

He pushed the thought to the back of his mind for the rest of the week.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam goes to the party. Lawrence makes an important step. Adam is descending farther and farther into Lawrence Gordon-hell.

When a woman wearing a pale gray blouse and blonde hair tied up in a loose ponytail answered the door, Adam flinched a bit and felt a wave of hot awkwardness dump over his head and trail down his body from head to toe.

“Uhm,” was his flawless introduction. The woman, who Adam knew was Alison since he has seen pictures of her, blinked at him and scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion. She opened her mouth, but not a moment after she inhaled, Lawrence appeared from behind her, blue eyes shining brightly and a blinding smile spread across his face.

“Adam, come in!” Alison processed for a moment before stepping aside, giving Adam a look up and down and plastering on a fake, friendly smile.

“You must be Adam, the photographer Larry told me about?” Alison held out her hand, and Adam shook it awkwardly as he stepped inside.

“Yeah, that’s me,” Adam laughed a little, trying to figure out how to act around… well. Who was Alison to Adam? What about Lawrence? Was he Adam’s… friend? For some reason, the word settled oddly in his head, but for the moment he would think of Alison as his… customer’s wife. 

“Come in,” Alison lead the way into the kitchen towards the source of noise, and Adam shuffled awkwardly along, flushing momentarily when Lawrence placed a hand on the small of his back when he passed by the taller man.

Adam’s eyes settled on a bunch of little girls, all stuffing their faces with cupcakes. They all were giggling and squealing and chatting amongst each other, and when Adam stepped inside, some ignored him and others stared at him, including the one with bright blue eyes that matched Lawrence’s perfectly. Their eyes met and Adam recalled the picture of her- Diana. 

“Diana, this is my friend, Adam,” Lawrence smiled and held a hand out to Adam, and Adam waved a little stiffly. He didn’t understand kids. They stared and stared and stared with little to no change in expression, and it made Adam feel like they were reading into his soul or something. However, he was lucky Diana was 9 years old- while still very young, he knew that once kids hit age 7 they were pretty mature, especially girls. He didn’t baby talk kids over age seven, he knew kids hated to be treated like they were as young as they truly are. So he usually took on a casual atmosphere around kids. This time, though, was a bit different. Adam was nervous. He wanted Diana to like him. Why, he didn’t know. Little kids have never meant shit to him before. But this girl… Adam felt fiercely protective of suddenly. He knew if anything were to happen to her, he would do anything to get revenge on whatever bastard dared lay a hand on her. They may have just met, but Adam felt these feelings probably because he’s seen the way Lawrence adores her, and he wants to protect the one person that makes Lawrence so full of love. 

“Hi,” she said shyly, and Adam smiled a bit. Somehow, it was not forced.

“Hey, nice to meet you,” Adam gripped the strap of his camera bag slung over his shoulder. “Happy birthday, kid.”

“Thanks,” she smiled, and Adam felt like that meant something good. Feeling good, he looked at Lawrence with a hopeful expression, receiving an approving nod from Lawrence.

“He’s going to take pictures during the party,” Lawrence explained. “So smile lots, okay?”

“Think of it like the paparazzi,” Adam added in, “You and your friends are the celebrities here, so act cool and… everyone else will be jealous they weren’t invited to this party.”

“Okay,” she giggled a little bashfully, then scurried off to join her friends, who were gathered around a playlet of plastic horse figurines. They all had their own horses which they moved around a set of obstacles, stables and trees. Diana plopped down in the circle and claimed her horses and did the same thing, talking amongst the kids around her as they created a plot and story to what they were doing. 

Adam set down his bag and got his camera ready, then sat down at the dining room table and snapped a few pictures of them playing with the horses. Lawrence lingered around him, silently watching him take pictures.

“So, Adam,” a woman’s voice spoke beside him and Adam almost jumped, but he looked over his shoulder, noticing Alison standing beside him. “What do you do, besides photography?”

“Oh, I’m a barista,” Adam explained, pausing to take another picture, “At a coffee shop.”

“Ah,” Alison said warily, and watched the girls playing next to him. After a moment of silence, she spoke again. “Aren’t they adorable?”

“Very,” Adam smiled a bit, then stood. “I’m gonna, um, go over here for some other angles,” he explained, then stepped around the unopened presents and crouched down, taking more pictures.

The horse game got old after a while, and the girls took interest in more cupcakes. Adam got some quality shots of frosting-smeared faces and chocolatey fingers, but before they could get more cupcakes Alison rounded them up for birthday cake. They agreed, because who could turn down cake?

When Diana took her seat and the lights were turned off, her face was illuminated by the flickering candles, and her friends gathered in a circle around the table, all smiles as they stared at the cake, the candles, and their special friend. Behind Diana stood Alison and Lawrence, side by side, hands on the back of her chair. They crouched over her protectively, all smiles as they counted down and everyone began to sing. Adam was momentarily hypnotized with the scene. He knew Alison and Lawrence currently lived an unhappy marriage. He knew they were no longer in love, possibly never in love in the first place. Their love for their child, however, was out of this world and genuine. For these moments, they were parents joined together with mutual feelings for their precious daughter, and Adam needed to get that on camera, if nothing else.

Diana must know that even if her parents can’t settle their differences and see no value in being married any longer, they still loved her, and they still would do anything for her. So Adam made sure to put the lens before his eyes and click, and the moment was saved forever.

When she blew her candles out, Adam snapped a few pictures in quick succession, getting a nice shot of the flames being pressed down in horizontal lines before vanishing entirely in wisps of smoke. He then took more pictures at the cheers and claps and Diana’s toothy smile, her eyes gleaming with the innocence of childhood and the joy of her special day.

Adam was so absorbed in pictures that he didn’t notice Lawrence approach him and hand him a plate with a plastic pink fork and a slice of chocolate cake on it. Adam took a picture of Lawrence handing him the cake and lowered the camera, smirking at Lawrence’s confused expression.

“Why did you take that?” Lawrence chuckled, and Adam took the plate from his hand.

“Artist’s intuition,” Adam responded wittily, picking up the fork and tasting the cake.

“I can’t wait to see the shots,” Lawrence leaned against the counter, eating his own piece of cake. “I have faith that you’re incredibly good at this.”

“Way to set the standards high, jackass,” Adam joked, then winced when he swore. Luckily, none of the girls heard him, and if they did, they did not react. “Sorry,” he murmured, and Lawrence chuckled.

“I admit I was a bit concerned about your sailor’s mouth when I invited you to this,” Lawrence elbowed Adam lightly.

“Shut up,” Adam grumbled around his cake. “It’s not very easy to hold back. I’m not around little kids often.”

“Get used to it,” Lawrence advised, and Adam stopped. 

“Wait, what’s that supposed to-“

He was interrupted by Alison announcing it was present time, and the girls all excitedly got out of their eats, grabbing their gifts and fighting over which one Diana gets to open first. Lawrence set down his paper plate and walked over to watch her open her gifts, leaving Adam blushing a little and holding a forkful of cake in the air. Get used to it? It was almost like Lawrence was telling him that he would be around his daughter more often than he thought.

Adam set down his cake and shuffled over, raising his camera again and capturing the look of surprise and glee whenever Diana unwrapped a new gift. Alison eventually stepped away to chat with the mothers picking up their daughters from the party, and Lawrence settled next to Adam.

“Here you are!” Lawrence declared, handing Adam an envelope. Adam stared at it for a moment before processing it was his pay.

“You really didn’t have to,” Adam murmured, taking the envelope and looking up at Lawrence gratefully. 

“You really didn’t have to, either,” Lawrence pointed out, and Adam shrugged a bit.

“I guess, but I feel like I should, I mean, you’ve done a lot for me…” Adam trailed off, face warming at his words. Lawrence blinked at him. 

“What, the tips?” Adam nodded. “That’s not a big deal…” Lawrence reassured him. 

“To me, it is,” Adam responded and looked him in the eyes, wanting to convey how those tips really have helped Adam the past few weeks. Lawrence’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, and he seemed to get momentarily lost in Adam’s green eyes, leaning closer to the shorter man and noticing how his hair looked really soft and that his nose was actually really cute and kissable…

“Good,” Lawrence spoke softly, and Adam noticed how he was a little closer, how he seemed to be staring at Adam’s face. Adam shivered a little but bit his lip, looking up at Lawrence’s strong jawline and perfectly shaped eyebrows, his plump lips and sky blue eyes… he rocked forward slightly to appear a little taller than he really was, but in reality he was maybe, possibly, leaning into Lawrence as well, and they may have stared at each other longer if Alison hadn’t walked into the kitchen. They abruptly broke their eye contact and stepped away from each other, Adam flushing hot with embarrassment. 

“W-well, looks like I should get home and develop these,” Adam announced awkwardly, suddenly losing stable control over his hands and fumbling with his equipment.

“Thank you for coming, Adam,” Alison said formally. “It was a pleasure meeting you.”

“Thank you for having me,” Adam nodded politely, then noticed Diana watching him pack up his things. He smiled at the brown-haired girl.

“You look like a star in the pictures,” he assured Diana. “Hope you had a great day, squirt.”

She smiled wide at the nickname. “I did!” She exclaimed, then seemed to hover, wanting to say more but unsure of what to say. “D-did you like the cake?”

“It was to die for,” Adam rolled his eyes back a little, over exaggerating his love for the cake. “Like, seriously, the best cake ever. Next time you should get the same cake.”

“I will,” she agreed happily, and after a period of silence, Adam smiled again and made his way to the door, Lawrence following behind him. 

“Again, thank you,” he leaned forward when Adam was stepping out the door, speaking almost directly against his ear. Adam paused in his steps, turning to look at Lawrence who was hovering behind him with their faces hardly a few inches apart. 

“S-see you,” Adam stuttered, and he only realized when he stepped away that Lawrence’s hand was settled on the small of his back again, like it belonged there.

The spot burned searing hot into his skin as he trekked over to his car. 

—

“Good news,” Adam announced when Lawrence entered the cafe the next day. “The shots are developed and they look pretty damn good.”

“Really?” Lawrence set down his briefcase and momentarily pushed aside the chocolate mudslide mocha already prepared for him. “Let me see.”

Without further ado, Adam placed the envelope in front of Lawrence. “Have at ‘em,” he grinned, clearly proud of his creation. Lawrence excitedly opened the envelope and pulled out the pictures. He studied each one carefully, his heart warming at the sight of his daughter’s happiness captured so flawlessly in timeless photographs. He loved how some of them were done in black and white- Alison would like to hang those up around the house.

“Adam…” he breathed, placing the stack of photos down and looking up at the man himself, who had on a cocky smirk and hands on his hips. 

“Impressive, huh?” Adam boasted, and Lawrence grinned.

“Extremely so,” he agreed. “These are beautiful. I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

Even though Adam was bragging about his work, hearing the words from Lawrence made Adam melt a little inside. A new bashful nature took over, and he blushed, rounding his shoulders and itching behind his ear.

“They’re not… perfect or anything,” Adam murmured, but he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. “I think I did pretty good, though…”

“They’re as perfect as they’re ever gonna be,” Lawrence assured him, and Adam was ushered away due to the arrival of a customer. Lawrence picked up his mocha and sipped at it as he went through the pictures a second time, eyes gleaming with love and joy at the memories. 

“Okay, now this is just getting embarrassing,” Adam complained when he returned to Lawrence, “Put them away already.”

“But they’re so great,” Lawrence insisted. “It’s hard to put them back into hiding.”

Adam felt his ears burn and Lawrence looked up, expecting a snippy retort, but Adam crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Thanks,” he grumbled, and Lawrence was momentarily fascinated at the sight of Adam tensing his shoulders, ducking his pink face away and murmuring something that wasn’t, ‘fucking rich geaser,’ or ‘you’re a fucking idiot.’ It was polite and without profanity. Lawrence felt he was staring at a different man. It was really, really cute- Adam was really cute. He was all confident one moment and shy the next… 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, stop staring at me, you freak,” Adam snapped after an extended period of silence, and Lawrence instantly grinned. There’s the Adam he knew.

“And it’s time to go,” Adam added, snatching the pictures from Lawrence’s fingers and gently stuffing them in their envelope. “Get your ass out of here and make money for your daughter so she can get more books and horse toys and whatever she fucking pleases, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Mrs. Gordon,” Lawrence teased, but Adam froze and basically mimicked a cartoon character- Lawrence could almost see the way the blood filled his face from the base of his neck to the crown of his head, like someone was pouring the blush into him from a pitcher over his head.

“Y-…” Adam managed one weak sound before shoving the envelope at Lawrence and staring down at the counter, ears impossibly red behind his shaggy black hair. “G-get the hell out of here, you fucking weirdo.”

Lawrence gave him a smirk and took the envelope, making his leave. “See you at lunch, _darling.”_

“If you don’t shut the _fuck_ up I swear to god-“ Adam’s threat went unfinished as the door closed behind Lawrence, and Adam was left grumbling and fuming and nearly scaring the next customer to death.

Lawrence was a stupid fucking attractive tease that made Adam’s heart pound way too hard, and he wanted to smack the charming smile right off his shitty perfect face. 

He fucking hated hot ‘prince-charming’ assfucks. Particularly Lawrence shit-eating Gordon.

“I think you feel the opposite of hate,” Amanda added once Adam realized he was grumbling his thoughts out loud. “Most of the time, when you hate someone, you don’t think of them as hot.”

“Amanda, go fucking mop the floor,” Adam snapped, and Amanda only rolled her eyes and listened, assuming Adam would torture himself enough today with daydreams and fantasies. She didn’t need to intervene.

For now. Her wicked smirk returned to her face as she grabbed the mop handle, thinking of ways to embarrass Adam in the future. 

—

Lawrence was staring into his coffee cup the next day with fascination.

“Just drink it,” Adam demanded, but Lawrence was staring at it. There as a heart drawn in it. A heart. Drawn in the froth. 

“Why did you-“

“Drink. It.” Adam’s eyes were intense, but the splash of red on his cheeks was even more intense.

Lawrence slowly lifted the cup and sipped at it, making Adam clear his throat.

“So…” Lawrence set the cup down, “Any reason why you… drew a heart in my coffee?”

“Practice,” Adam responded quickly. “I’m not good at coffee art. So I’m starting with basic shapes to get the hang of it.” 

“Alright…” Lawrence slowly began to make his signature smirk of I-know-the-truth, and Adam felt himself blushing all over again.

“Stop making that fucking face, holy _fuck,”_ Adam sighed with exasperation, but Lawrence had his reasons for making ‘that fucking face.’

—

A few days later, Lawrence came in to Chance In Counter with tensed eyebrows and his lips drawn tight in a line. 

“If you need to take a shit, the bathroom is down the hall over there-“ Adam pointed to the corner of the cafe, and Lawrence shook his head.

“Well then, what’s shoved up your ass this morning?” Adam dried off a few cups and saucer plates as Lawrence settled down in his seat.

“Alison and I talked,” he sighed, “We’re officially getting divorced.”

Adam stared at him blankly. He knew this was going to happen, but he knew that regardless of their personal feelings for each other, getting divorced was a sad process. It was the official acknowledgement that their connection was over, and Lawrence had been married for…

“… how long?” Adam asked out loud, and Lawrence raised an eyebrow. Adam set down a dried cup. “How long were you two married?”

“11 years,” Lawrence admitted, “But we only dated for five months before getting married. Only knew each other 3 months before that.”

“Ah,” Adam nodded, “So…” 

“I’m moving out,” Lawrence answered the next question before it was asked. “We’ll work out exact times Diana will visit me in the papers, but so far the agreement is weekends.”

Adam finished drying the dishes and he set the rag down, coming a little closer to Lawrence and leaning against the counter. “Do you know where you’re moving to?”

“Not far from where we already live,” Lawrence shrugged. “Gonna get a two-bedroom home. Good enough for me. I would just get an apartment, but I don’t want Diana to be bored when she comes over. She should have her own space to spend time in.”

Adam nodded his agreement and watched as Lawrence drank his macadamia brittle latte. 

“I hope the squirt is okay,” Adam said softly, “I mean. Even if she understands it all, it’s not easy on a kid.”

“I know,” Lawrence nodded gravely, and Adam kind of felt bad for bringing it up. There was a period of silence before Lawrence set down his empty cup and got his things together.

“I should get going,” he said tiredly. “Have a good morning, Adam, I’ll see you at lunch.” 

“Bye,” Adam said simply, watching as Lawrence seemed to drag himself out the door. He felt bad for Lawrence. He seemed like a man who had his life in order and planned out perfectly, and now his little perfect dream had ended. It made sense for him to grieve over that.

Chewing his lip, Adam turned his attention to the cash register, deciding to assist the next customer in line. 

—

Adam was just about finished with his macaroni and cheese a few days after the big news. He was poking at the last few noodles that continued to slip around his fork’s prongs, and Lawrence was taking the last bites of a Caesar salad. Lawrence had been moping badly the last few days, and Adam was tired of it.

“Okay, look,” Adam spoke, making Lawrence lift his tired eyes from the salad. “You need to stop being so fucking depressed.”

“It’s not that—“ Lawrence began to argue, but Adam continued without mercy.

“No, it’s fucking annoying,” Adam snapped. “It’s like a shitty gray cloud is raining over your head all goddamn day and I want to- I don’t know, I want to make it fuck off.” 

Lawrence blinked at him in confusion, and Adam angrily shoved macaroni in his mouth, chewing it and swallowing before continuing, pointing his cheesy fork at Lawrence’s face.

“I want you to fucking smile again,” he stated.

Silence stretched out between them. Cheese dripped onto Lawrence’s salad.

“Shit, sorry,” Adam pulled his fork back, blushing stupidly. “B-but I mean it. It’s stupid, seeing that ugly-ass scowl on your face, you’re old. You’re gonna get wrinkles. Stop fucking frowning.”

Adam’s complains made Lawrence snicker, and Adam looked up in shock as Lawrence laughed, laughed for the first time in days and then he couldn’t stop smiling.

“You’re a charming little shit, you know that?” Lawrence’s eyes crinkled in the corners and his smile lit up the whole room. Adam felt his heart flip over in his chest at least four times.

“I-I’m just so fucking sick of seeing you sulk,” Adam protested. “Look, why don’t we go drink again?”

“Tonight?” Lawrence’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Of course,” Adam responded with a smirk this time, and he kicked Lawrence’s foot under the table. Lawrence yelped at first, then he kicked Adam back, and to say the least, they almost tipped over the table and were rewarded with the humor of a few dirty looks from employees.

—

“Fuck,” Lawrence slurred, nearly dropping the empty shot glass on the bar’s surface. _“Fuuuuck.”_

“You’re shitfaced,” Adam stared, stared at the way Lawrence’s eyes were hazy and his face was flushed, how he seemed to have a hard time keeping his head upright. “You’re absolutely shitfaced.”

“No…” Lawrence hiccuped. “No shit, Sherlock.”

Adam gawked for a moment before grinning wide. “Wow, you’re plastered. I never thought I’d ever see this. You had such a rule of no more than three drinks.”

“You’re not my mom,” Lawrence complained, and Adam laughed at the stupid way he pouted.

“You’re so fucking drunk, this is hilarious,” Adam nudged Lawrence’s side, and Lawrence stuck out his tongue like a five year old. It only made Adam laugh harder.

When it was time to leave, Adam was supporting Lawrence’s weight and gripping his waist with one hand, the other holding Lawrence’s arm around his shoulders. When he got to Lawrence’s car, he paused and shoved his hand in Lawrence’s pocket, grabbing his car keys and unlocking it. Adam maneuvered them around and got Lawrence in the passenger seat, buckled him and closed the door, then got into the driver’s seat and started up the car. The gentle rumble under his feet made Adam shiver, and he inhaled the scent of clean leather seats and admired the dim glow of the lights inside the car. 

“This car’s fucking amazing,” Adam whispered. He’s obviously been inside of it before, but he never has driven it, and when he got out onto the main road and felt it rolling down the pavement, he was in love with it. It drove so smoothly Adam could hardly believe he was driving.

Adam went straight to his apartment without question. There was no way he could bring Lawrence home this drunk. His wife- now ex-wife- would probably kick him out, anyways. When they got to Adam’s shitty apartment complex, he reached over and got Lawrence’s phone from his pocket, unlocking it with ease (it was the year Lawrence was born, duh, Adam knew how basic Lawrence was with passwords) and going to his messages. He saw Alison’s contact and texted her back (she asked what he was doing, if he was coming home so she knew to lock the garage door), telling her he was staying at Adam’s that night. She responded almost instantly with a simple ‘Ok’ and Adam shut the phone off, slipping it back into his pocket and helping Lawrence out of the car. Lawrence woke up again, dizzy and asking where he was.

“Welcome to my shitty home,” Adam chuckled, locking the car and slipping Lawrence’s arm over his shoulders again. “You’re staying here tonight, buddy.”

“With you…” Lawrence groaned a little, and Adam glared at him.

“What’s that supposed to mean, asswipe?”

“One bed…” 

Adam paused at first, feeling his heart thud against his chest.

“I-I’ll be on the couch, moron,” Adam mumbled, and Lawrence grunted in response. He helped Lawrence up the stairs and set Lawrence’s almost limp body against the wall as he fished in his pockets for his keys. Once finding said keys, he opened the door and pushed Lawrence inside, then locked the door behind him. Lawrence stood in front of the door, staring at the living room where the couch with the sunken-in cushions and ancient TV sat. 

“C’mon…” Adam lead Lawrence to the bedroom, where he sat Lawrence down on the bed and left to get water. He returned with the glass and crouched down in front of Lawrence, placing a hand on his jaw and coaxing his mouth open. He tipped the glass gently, and most of the water went into Lawrence’s mouth, the rest trickled out on his chin, but Adam pulled the glass away and wiped the excess off with his thumb. Lawrence swallowed the water, then seemed to focus. He reached out, took the glass and downed the rest.

“Thanks,” he managed to say, then flopped over onto the bed and was out like a light.

Adam sighed, watching Lawrence’s sides rise and fall as he was lulled into sleep. He took off his flannel and grabbed a pair of sweats, going to the bathroom. Even though Lawrence was asleep, Adam was self-conscious about changing in front of him, for… unspoken reasons.

Adam returned to the bedroom and leaned down, taking off Lawrence’s shoes and deciding it was good enough. He tucked Lawrence in, got him another glass of water and a trash can in case he woke up and puked everywhere, then left the room to sit on the couch. He scrolled through the TV channels aimlessly, but the thought that Lawrence was in his room in his bed was too much and he couldn’t pick a show to watch.

He tried to lay down on the couch, but there was no way he would sleep.

Worse, he heard a thump from somewhere in his dark kitchen and although Adam knew it was nothing, he jumped to his feet and scrambled into the bedroom, throwing himself onto his bed and trembling. 

He fucking hated the dark. It was… unpredictable.

He turned over, clinging desperately to the sleeping form next to him, nuzzling his face into Lawrence’s back and inhaling the smell of his cologne. 

It calmed him instantly. Two deep sighs later and Adam was drifting to sleep, still gripping Lawrence’s waist tightly.

—

Lawrence would be lying if he wasn’t completely confused when he woke up. 

He grabbed the water and chugged it down instantly, luckily refrained his gag reflex and avoided puking, but his head pounded like a bitch, and he felt someone clinging to his back like a baby koala and Alison never snuggled. She eventually pushed him away in their sleep… with a little bit of dread, Lawrence looked over his shoulder, expecting the secretary he slept with a few times a few months back.

Instead, he saw Adam’s messy black hair and thick lashes and he felt his heart slam against his ribcage.

His constant movements made Adam peek his eyes open, and slowly, Adam woke up and stared at him.

They were laying in that position long enough for the air to get incredibly hot and tense, and Adam unwrapped himself from Lawrence’s back and blushed to his ears.

“You got smashed as all hell last night so I brought you to my apartment for the night,” Adam murmured his explanation. “Then I couldn’t sleep on the couch so I came back to the bed. And I tend to have a death grip on my pillow when I sleep.”

Lawrence was too dazed to respond, so he nodded and flopped back down, sighing and trying to control the way his head was throbbing. Adam noticed the empty glass of water. He got out of bed and shuffled over to it, grabbing it and leaving to the kitchen. He got a new glass, then handed it to Lawrence with a pill in the other hand.

“Take it,” Adam assured. “Painkiller.”

Lawrence nodded his thanks and took the pill, then drank the entire glass of water immediately afterwords.

“Sorry,” Lawrence mumbled, and Adam shook his head. 

“I’ll make breakfast,” Adam informed Lawrence as he left the room, and Lawrence sat there, zoning out until he smelt bacon. He stood up and found the bathroom, washing his face and seeing an unopened toothbrush next to the sink, assumedly from a dentist visit. Lawrence opened the package and used it with Adam’s toothpaste, feeling better that his mouth didn’t taste like cat piss anymore.

He wandered into the kitchen and saw Adam place the plate of bacon and scrambled eggs on the table for Lawrence. He blinked at it, then at Adam, who blushed and got himself a bowl of cocoa puffs.

“You’re gonna eat that shit?” Lawrence looked at Adam’s spoonful of cocoa puffs, and Adam narrowed his eyes.

“I’m fucking coo coo for cocoa puffs, you got a problem?” Adam growled, and Lawrence managed to smile at that. Adam was a big dork, really.

“It was really good,” Lawrence said as he was washing the dishes. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I wasn’t just going to throw you out,” Adam rolled his eyes. “I’m not that much of an asshole. Only a little bit.”

Lawrence laughed and handed Adam the last dry plate. Once everything was cleaned up, Lawrence gathered his things and decided he should leave.

“Thanks… again,” Lawrence felt the need to say with his hand on the door knob. “I haven’t gotten that drunk… probably ever. I’m thankful you helped me out.”

“It was funny as hell,” Adam grinned. “But really, it’s nothing.”

Lawrence smiled again and finally made his leave, and as soon as his footsteps disappeared down the stairs, Adam exhaled and felt a little chilly.

His apartment felt really empty suddenly, and Lawrence had only been there for a night.

Fuck this. Adam went to the couch and turned on the movie channel, deciding to watch Titanic and eat a huge fucking tub of ice cream, because he could, and because Lawrence was so perfect and drastically unattainable.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's cold, it's the holidays, romance is in the air, and apparently mistletoe is, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> B)  
> -rises from the dead-  
> Hey all, sorry I completely died on you. School is a bitch, also I got myself a lovely partner and have been going on dates basically every free moment I have, and otherwise working my ass off in school so I can go on said dates. Whoops. But lucky you, we decided to cuddle and watch Saw because I'm obsessed, and I quoted many lines from the film from heart like always, y'know- My name's very FUCKING confused, what's YOUR name?- This is the most fun I've had without lubricant! - Oh, the second best invention on this planet! ... You'd put something you found in here in your mouth? ... Yes!! Now give me that sweet cancer.-  
> The usual. ;D and more. "Do you see that. That was Adam flirting." "LOOK THE GAY IS STARTING." "the way he says 'i need you' is way too desperate for friendship" "//GROSS SOBBING AND CLINGING TO BAE// LOOK AT- HE SAYS THEY'LL BE OKAY- BUT THEY WOOOoooon't.... //SOBBBBBS"  
> Anyways I'll shut up.
> 
>  
> 
> Buckle up kids this is a nice long chapter for waiting so sweetly for me, and with something you all have been waiting for. ;)

Lawrence stumbled into Chance In Counter a handful of weeks later, yanking at his teal knitted scarf and removing his black gloves as he approached the counter. His cheeks were red from the biting cold outside, hair messy from the icy wind. 

 

“Honey-Lemon iced tea, large,” Lawrence sat down on the stool he usually sat at, removing his thick, long jacket and Adam scrunched his eyebrows at him.

 

“Good morning to you too,” the barista regarded, “What’s with the… interesting choice today?”

 

“I feel like having iced tea,” Lawrence was unpacking his briefcase, pulling out papers and spreading them out on the counter. “Does it matter?”

 

“Well, considering it’s fucking Antarctica out there, most normal people would order something like, say, I don’t know, a hot coffee?” Adam explained as he prepped the iced tea, but Lawrence ignored his logic, eyes scanning over the documents. When Adam finished making it, he set the cup down by Lawrence’s papers and his eyes flicked over their contents. He expected to see brain scans and x-rays of broken bones or MRI’s, but instead he saw layouts for various apartments. 

 

“Any luck?” Adam commented, glancing up at Lawrence, who was already looking at him. Adam’s heart thudded hard on his chest, and he swallowed nervously at the intensity of his own heartbeat. 

 

“What do you think of this one?” Lawrence furrowed his eyebrows and raised a paper with various pictures of a nice-looking, simply furnished apartment.

 

“Beats my shithole apartment,” Adam snickered, “So yes, it’s nice. Go for it.”

 

Lawrence regarded Adam’s face for a moment before looking back down at the papers, making Adam feel a bit uneasy. What was that look even for?

 

Over the past few weeks, they had gone drinking time and time again or grabbing meals during Lawrence’s lunch break at the Panera Bread around the corner. Over and over, Lawrence would buy more food than he eats and make Adam take home leftovers so he had food for the next day. Adam would always try and make him take it instead, but Lawrence would insist and leave Adam warm and fuzzy inside as he gripped styrofoam box after styrofoam box in his hands while walking back to his run-down apartment. 

 

He wasn’t sure what they were doing, whether it was dating or flirting or what, but Adam felt they were truly friends. They were from totally different social classes, but it didn’t seem to matter. Adam wasn’t mooching off of Lawrence, and Lawrence genuinely enjoyed spending time with Adam and did his best to help Adam’s situation without being too overbearing.

 

Adam turned and tended to other customers while Lawrence shuffled through his papers, sipping at his iced tea occasionally. Eventually he said goodbye and was on his way to work, mind clearly muddled with thoughts. Adam watched him bundle up and step back into the blizzard outside, watching his huddled form rush through the slushy streets before he was out of sight from Adam’s spot behind the counter.

 

“Gazing longingly, I see,” Scott sneered, making Adam flinch and glare at his best friend who had apparently walked into the shop and was standing right in front of Adam. 

 

“Shut the fuck up,” Adam grumbled, “What are you here for?” He focused on his friend, who was grinning his sideways smile, his brown bangs spread out unevenly on his forehead.

 

“I wanted a coffee,” Scott pointed out, “Like most people, when they come to coffee shops.” Adam rolled his eyes and began preparing his favorite drink when Scott scooted over and smirked at Adam. Of course, Adam noticed the expression and self-consciously averted his eyes.

 

“Stop it,” Adam insisted.

 

“Stop what?” Scott pressed.

 

“You’re giving me the face,” Adam hissed, glaring at Scott, who raised his eyebrows. There was a period of silence before the coffee machine began gurgling.

 

“You have it bad,” Scott stated, and Adam deadpanned.

 

“Thank you,” Adam rolled his eyes, “For pointing out the obvious.”

 

“Oh,” Scott seemed a little surprised, “So even you know it.”

 

“What part of shut the fuck up do you not understand?” Adam replied in a rush of words, pouring the hot black roast into a mug. He stepped over to Scott, placing it on the counter.

 

“When are you guys gonna do gay things?” Scott smirked as Adam visibly twitched.

 

“Drink your coffee and _leave_ ,” Adam threatened, ignoring Scott’s stupid giggles as he washed some dishes, rubbing the plates with a little more aggression than he needed.

 

“He’s got an ex-wife and a daughter,” Adam said after Scott’s laughter died down. “He’s straight as all hell, even if he’s divorced. Why the hell would he… It makes no sense.”

 

“For fucks’ sake, Adam,” Scott swallowed some of his coffee, “When we all went drinking last week, he was staring at you with this hazy… romantic gaze, like you were the love of his life or some shit-“

 

“He was _drunk_ , Scott,” Adam cut him off, “It was the goddamn booze. Not-… not his nonexistent feelings.”

 

Scott gave him an unconvinced look before sipping at his steaming coffee. “Keep telling yourself that, dude.” Scott was quiet and Adam didn’t respond, but then Scott suddenly spoke up again. “Where does Lawrence usually sit?” 

 

“There,” Adam gestured towards the seat to Scott’s left, the one right on the end, closest to the cash register. “Why?”

 

“It’s gonna be Christmas in like, 2 weeks,” Scott had the look on his face, the glint in his eye when he gets an idea. It was mischievous and Adam already had the words on his tongue to tell Scott _no_. “Put a mistletoe right over that section of the counter.”

 

Adam stared at him blankly. “You’re fucking gayer than I am.”

 

“But it’d totally work!” Scott insisted, “Come on, do it. Just put it up there. He’s bound to notice. Or you can point it out, act like you didn’t hang it up.” 

 

“This isn’t some cheesy romance film,” Adam disregarded, “No way in hell.”

 

“I guess I’ll have to talk to Amanda,” Scott began, and Adam had a look of fear flash through his eyes. 

 

“Oh god, please, anything but,” Adam begged, “She’s gonna think of so many ways she can embarrass the fuck out of me around Larry and the last thing I need is a mistletoe.” 

 

“You know,” Scott interjected, “When he introduced himself to me, he held out his hand and said, ‘Nice to meet you, I’m Lawrence.’”

 

“… Yeah?” Adam failed to see his point. “So?”

 

“Did he introduce himself as Lawrence to you, too?” Scott questioned, and Adam got irritated.

 

“I don’t fucking know, why does it matter?” Adam placed a hand on his hip, wondering what the hell Scott was even trying to say.

 

“Since when did you start calling him _Larry?”_

 

Adam’s face slowly descended from pale to pink to red, and he turned away immediately, heart slamming his chest in utter embarrassment. Truly, though, when did he start saying Larry causally…? Adam felt his ears absolutely _sweltering_ with the hot blood pooling all up his neck and face. “Scott, please, for the _love_ of god, _shut the fuck up!_ ” 

 

Adam never was more irritated at the sound of Scott’s laugh getting louder and louder. He was mad because Scott was right- he was so, so right. 

—

 

“It needs more.”

 

Adam raised an eyebrow at Lawrence, who was crossing his arms in the middle of his now-furnished, new apartment home. He invited Adam to come take a look one afternoon after lunch. Adam smirked at Lawrence. “Like what? A sex dungeon?”

 

“Maybe,” Lawrence joked, “But no. The walls. They are empty. They need more.”

 

“Buy some paintings and shit,” Adam suggested lightly, and Lawrence sighed.

 

“I want the walls to have stuff that… means something,” Lawrence explained, walking over to the empty wall across from them and tracing his fingertips on it. “Like pictures of… my daughter?”

 

“And what else?” Adam pressed. He was getting an idea.

 

“Like… places,” Lawrence settled. “Places I see every day but… they’re part of my life. Things that matter. Things that show _home_.”

 

Adam’s mind was already racing. “Huh,” he responded intelligently, pushing his hands into his pockets. “Okay.”

 

Lawrence was too distracted to even notice Adam’s thoughtful expression.

 

—

 

“I have to do what,” Adam glared at Amanda two weeks later.

 

“Wear the santa hat,” Amanda insisted. “And work the night shift. Remember? We talked about it a few days ago, and you agreed, and that’s why you’re here now. Obviously, you have intentions of working. So don’t scurry off!” 

 

“Who the _fuck_ is going to go to a fucking coffee shop on Christmas Eve _night_ ,” Adam nearly growled, snatching the hat from Amanda’s hands. She grinned at her victory. 

 

“Someone lonely,” Amanda hummed, “Maybe a certain someone who, say, I don’t know, has no one to go home to in his _brand new_ apartment…”

 

“Amanda,” Adam said carefully, and Amanda giggled as she began collecting her things. Adam watched her, dumbfounded. “Where the hell- are you leaving me?” When she didn’t answer, he sighed. “Am I at least getting paid for working these hours on my own?” 

 

“Yes,” Amanda replied bluntly. “Merry Christmas, Adam. I hope you get laid tonight.” She winked, brushed her spiky bangs to the side and left without another word, the jingle bells on the doorknob chiming momentarily. Adam was left alone listening to _Frosty the Snowman_. 

 

He sighed and put on the stupid santa hat, slouching against the counter and pulling out his phone. He watched a couple vines Scott sent him and went through his e-mails, a long sigh passing his lips.

 

Of course no one was gonna be here. It was Christmas Eve. Adam was here until 8:30 and it was only 7. Everyone was finishing dinner and getting cozy with their families and Adam was alone, wearing a fucking Santa hat in a coffee shop. 

 

_What a life._

 

Adam had an hour and a half before he could leave, just in case some sorry ass decided to come in and bother him for some coffee.

 

As if on cue, the jingle bells rang and Adam moved to sit up as said sorry ass came over to him. “Welcome to-“

 

“Merry Christmas.”

 

Adam’s eyes shot up in surprise, his heart leaping as he saw a smile and bright blue eyes. He then looked down at Lawrence’s hand, seeing a gift box covered in silver and gold wrapping paper.

 

“The fuck?” Adam took it from his hand, warmth pooling in his stomach. “What the hell did you…” Adam began opening it, pulling the strings aside and ripping at the paper.

 

His jaw _dropped_. It was the brand new, latest model of the camera Adam had been blabbering about for the past month.

 

“Larry, you got me the camera,” Adam stated, frozen in shock, “ _The_ fucking camera.” 

 

“I did get you _the_ fucking camera,” Lawrence smiled charmingly, obviously proud of his choice when Adam’s eyes sparkled like they were. 

 

“Holy fucking shit, Larry, I…” Adam looked at Lawrence, utterly at a loss for words and too shocked to move. A lump formed in his throat as he thought of reaching over and meshing their lips together. “Thank you,” he said instead, voice tense as he held back what he truly wanted to say. He turned back to the camera, staring at it with wide eyes. He couldn’t believe the thing was finally in his hands- well, the box was, he’d mess with putting it together later, but still… the fact that Lawrence went and bought the incredibly expensive new model… it only came out recently, and the demand was high. He probably had to wait in some lines to get it, especially nearing the holidays. Adam felt extremely impressed, then his heart immediately sank because what had _he_ done that could match up to this?

 

And then he remembered.Maybe it wasn’t as impressive as a nice, expensive camera, but he had done _something_. “Oh, shit,” Adam suddenly sat upright. “I have your present, but it’s at my shitty apartment.”

 

“Oh?” Lawrence crossed his arms and titled his head, a cocky little smile on his face. “And what is my present?”

 

Why the _fuck_ did Lawrence have to be so charming with that little gesture? Adam cursed his mind and hormones that believed he was still 16 and constantly horny. Maybe it was just Lawrence. He must be constantly horny and 16 years old when around Lawrence. Little did he know Lawrence was smirking at him because he looked adorable with his crooked santa hat and slowly reddening cheeks. 

 

“It’s…” Adam felt himself get shy saying it. “You’ll see.”

 

“Oh, come on, that’s what I get for getting you that camera?” Lawrence whined, “Just tell me.”

 

“No,” Adam whined back, swatting at him like he was a fly. “You’ll see.”

 

Lawrence was smirking at him, but he gave up shortly. He stood upright. “Ah, fine, I’ll wait.” Standing up like that made Lawrence want to stretch, so he bent backward, sighing contentedly and looking at the ceiling.

 

His heart stopped when he saw it. 

 

Small green leaves tied by a red ribbon. There was no doubt about what it was.

 

“There’s a mistletoe,” Lawrence blurted out without second thought, and Adam looked like someone was holding a gun to his head.

 

“Oh,” Adam tensed immediately, heart flipping and doing awkward patterns of beats and halts. Adam’s mind was a repeating mantra of _fuck you Amanda fuck you Amanda fuck you Amanda…_

 

Lawrence looked at Adam’s eyes once, and they both held their breath. They weren’t children. They didn’t _have_ to kiss. They were adult men who could laugh it off and call it a day.

 

But the silence between them now had gone for too long and the air had gotten way too tense. 

 

“So?” Adam finally spoke, but it sounded like he was clearing his throat, eyes flicking elsewhere in the cafe. Lawrence felt himself fidget. 

 

There was no way the tension in the cafe was what Adam thought it was. His stomach sank with dread, hurt, and disappointment. Lawrence was clearly uncomfortable. Hell, he had to be revolted at the thought… 

 

“Well, you know,” Lawrence laughed awkwardly, “Tradition and all…”

 

“If it disgusts you that much just _say so_ ,” Adam snapped, emotion tightening his voice. Lawrence whipped his eyes to Adam alarmingly, seeing fear and hurt swelling in Adam’s eyes.

 

“What?” Lawrence asked softly, completely taken aback. Adam got so defensive so quickly that it startled Lawrence.

 

“You looked like you’re gonna puke up dinner all over the counter,” Adam’s words came out like shards of ice. He sounded like he was protecting himself from something dangerous, something toxic. “So if it disgusts you so much to think of kissing me, you don’t have to fucking do it. It’s just some dumb Christmas thing anyways. Who fucking _cares_.”

 

“Who said I was disgusted?”

 

Adam’s eyes went from hurt and furious to shocked, and Lawrence realized what he had revealed. His deepest darkest secret, splayed out right in front of the object of his desires. Every time Lawrence reached down to touch himself, every time he closed his eyes and tried to imagine a beautiful, curvy and smooth-skinned woman… he saw Adam’s scruffy hair, his hazel eyes, his thin wrists…

 

“W-well,” Adam stuttered suddenly, his cheeks quickly turning red. _Oh no,_ Lawrence stared as his heart began to pound. Adam was being adorable and Lawrence itched to reach out and touch his reddening cheek. “I mean, you looked like you would rather die…”

 

“I wouldn’t,” Lawrence spilled again, feeling like he was stepping on thin ice. He wasn’t sure if he should keep walking or run back to solid ground.

 

Adam was glued to his seat, ears not believing what he was hearing. He thought to himself that it was a joke, that he should smile and say _‘Nice one- very funny.’_ But Lawrence’s eyes were not lying. They were far too focused on Adam, dark with his widened pupils, and Adam licked his lips as his heart did flips in his chest. 

 

He had to escape the situation.

 

“I-I have to move the chairs,” Adam blurted out suddenly, standing and rushing over to the tables. It was hardly 7:15, they didn’t close for over an hour, but Adam knew no one else would be here anyways, so he began lifting the chairs and putting them upside down on the tabletops. Lawrence stood there in awkward silence, watching as Adam shuffled around and placed the chairs on the tables. He felt like offering to help, but his feet were stuck and they felt too heavy to move.

 

What had just _happened?_

 

Lawrence’s mind was spinning, but he knew that all he desired in that moment was to kiss Adam. He wanted to feel Adam’s lips and taste his tongue and feel him shiver. He wanted to smell that husky scent of cigarettes and pine trees. He clenched his fists as Adam finished lifting the chairs. He was walking across the cafe, planning on passing Lawrence by in a rush, but Lawrence halted him by grabbing Adam’s wrist.

 

Lawrence didn’t realize he even did that until Adam turned in shock, his eyes wide and his eyebrows tense as he tried to hold himself back. “What?” He asked quickly, defensively.

 

Lawrence didn’t know what to say. He stared at Adam, gripping his wrist, and Adam stared back, his heart slamming his chest harder and harder. _“What?”_ He pressed again, gripping his fingers and feeling himself blush harder. He felt like Lawrence was reading his mind and it wasn’t comfortable _at all._

 

Apparently, Lawrence _was_ reading his mind, because not even a moment later, Adam was pressed against the counter and Lawrence was kissing him.

 

Adam was frozen- completely stiff until Lawrence’s lips pressed harder and Adam snapped out of it. Lawrence was _kissing him after all this time-_

 

Adam moved his hand up to Lawrence’s hair, running his fingers through the soft strands as he allowed his eyes to close, melting into Lawrence’s arms and kissing back, shivering and pressing closer for more warmth. Lawrence’s frame was so big compared to his own… Adam felt like he was surrounded by Lawrence, and he _loved_ everything about it.

 

They broke apart for air only to reconnect a second later, desperately kissing at each other, addicted to the taste they created together. Their tongues met and it felt like fire- it sent shivers down their spines and heat between their legs.

 

Adam pulled back first, staring at Lawrence with watery eyes, breath leaving his lips in quick puffs. He wanted to ask what they were doing, where they were going, but his throat would constrict his words in fear of rejection, of hearing a response he didn’t want to hear.

 

Lawrence was staring at him with similar doubts, and they both decided to kiss each other again, favoring the feel of their lips over their uncertain words.

 

They couldn’t kiss forever, though. Well, they _could_ , Adam thought, and he’d be perfectly happy doing so because Lawrence knew how to kiss quite well, but Adam reluctantly pushed him away again, finally able to speak. “L-Lawrence…” he breathed, not using the pet-name of Larry to convey his caution. 

 

Lawrence stared at him, still clutching to the back of Adam’s shirt, searching Adam’s eyes eagerly. Adam chewed on his lips, unknowingly seducing Lawrence with the slight peek of his teeth. 

 

“How…” Adam stammered on his words, fidgeting with his hands. “Are you gay?”

 

Lawrence blinked. “Well, considering I just made out with you, does it matter?” 

 

“Good point,” Adam responded softly, but he moved his eyes away. “But I mean. Guys can… mess around and it doesn’t… you know.”

 

“So…” Lawrence raised an eyebrow, “You think we’re teenagers?”

 

“No!” Adam snapped defensively, but then had nothing else to argue. He stared at Lawrence with a hint of fear in his expression. “No, I don’t… I’m just… What…” 

 

_What are we?_

 

Lawrence understood his doubtful eyes, his tense frame and trembling fingers. He raised a hand to cup Adam’s face, looking into his eyes and begging Adam silently not to look away. “Adam, I feel alive when I’m with you. Like I have some sort of purpose in this world other than making money to provide for my daughter. She’s motivation to keep me going so I can watch her grow up and make her own family some day.” Adam nodded, not really knowing where he was going, but listening nonetheless. “As much as I love my daughter, I am not just a father. I am my own person, and I did love Allie once, I really did. But it wasn’t _true_ love, like I believed I felt when we got married.” Lawrence rubbed his thumb on Adam’s cheek, and Adam blushed at the gesture. “I haven’t had… great experiences dating, really,” Lawrence murmured, “And I was married to the first girlfriend I ever felt serious about. And yet, when she became my wife, I betrayed her.” 

 

Adam stared at him, a little shocked, but let Lawrence continue. “There was so much missing between us we didn’t see before we got married. And while I’ve only felt attracted to women my entire life until now, it doesn’t change my feelings for you, Adam. I’ve never laughed so much with someone. I’ve never felt so happy to just… see your face-“

 

“Larry, holy shit, shut _up_ ,” Adam groaned, squeezing his eyes shut as blood rushed to his cheeks. “You’re such a fucking _sap_ …”

 

Lawrence chuckled and waited until Adam opened his eyes again to say, “I really like you, Adam, and I think we should…” 

 

“Get gayer than we already are?” Adam smirked, and Lawrence dropped his head, shoulders shaking with laughter. Adam laughed with him, scratching the back of his neck shyly at his own stupidity during a romantic moment. 

 

“Yes, quite frankly, I would like to ‘get gayer than we already are,’” Lawrence confirmed. His eyes glistened with tears of laughter, and his lips parted to make the most perfect, genuine, sunny smile Adam had ever seen in his life. His voice was laced with remains of laughter as he asked honestly, “Will you be mine?”

 

“Okay, what the fuck,” Adam blurted out loud, and Lawrence looked utterly confused, his smile tensing. Adam felt his heart racing a thousand miles per minute, and he lifted a hand to cover his mouth, furrowing his eyebrows as his ears burned bright red.

 

“Is that a no?” Lawrence asked nervously, tilting his head slightly, making Adam throw up his hands and turn away.

 

“Holy shit, _stop_ ,” Adam sighed dramatically, getting fed up with Lawrence’s overwhelming good looks and bright aura, “You’re being too fucking… _Ugh_. It’s a yes, you stupid prince-charming fuck.”

 

Adam let out the most embarrassing squeaking sound he thinks he’s ever made when Lawrence’s arms wrapped around his waist from behind. He jumped at first, but quickly held his breath, pressing back into Lawrence and feeling his cheeks blaze hotter when he realized that Lawrence was _resting his chin on top of Adam’s head._

 

If Adam stood upright, his eyes were level with Lawrence’s chin, but when he was slouching like he was when Lawrence hugged him, there was just enough space for Lawrence to rest his head on Adam’s head, and this only added to Adam’s complete embarrassment. He covered his face and groaned again. 

 

“I’m starting to think you really don’t want this, with all the sighing and groaning,” Lawrence teased, and Adam lifted his hand to smack at Lawrence’s arm. “Ow.”

 

“You’re just a big fucking hot dumbass so shut up,” Adam mumbled, and Lawrence couldn’t help but to feel complimented in the strangest way. He leaned down, brushing his hot breath on Adam’s ear.

 

“Hot, huh?” He smirked, and Adam shivered, tensing in his arms. 

 

“Oh, like you didn’t know, you cocky piece of shit,” Adam teased, peeking over his shoulder. Lawrence just smiled stupidly at him before Adam caught notice of the clock. It was 8 pm. Amanda told him to close at 8:30. However…

 

“I’m supposed to stay for another half hour,” Adam admitted, “But I know no one’s gonna come so we might as well go.” 

 

“If you say so,” Lawrence detached himself from Adam’s back reluctantly, but he figured they’d be… _quite_ close tonight, anyways. Adam shuffled around, gathering anything he needed, turning off the lights and following Lawrence outside.

 

It was only then that he remembered they took separate cars to the cafe. Adam looked over to Lawrence doubtfully, but Lawrence only smiled.

 

“Just leave it here,” Lawrence said, “I’ll drop you off to drive it back to your apartment… tomorrow, or the day after.” 

 

“Sounds good,” Adam agreed, shuffling after Lawrence to his car. When he got inside and buckled himself in, he suddenly came to a realization and whipped towards Lawrence. “Wait. Am I getting laid tonight!?”

 

“I don’t know, are you?” Lawrence grinned at him, and Adam immediately felt his entire face plunge into the darkest shade of red. 

 

“Sh—Shut up! Am I!?” He demanded, and Lawrence laughed, tilting his head back and making Adam’s heart stammer. 

 

“Well, that is my intention, unless you don’t want to,” Lawrence admitted, shifting to look at Adam directly. “Do you want to?”

 

“Yes,” Adam said far too quickly, then gripped the leather of the armrest between them. “I mean. Uh. _Yes.”_ Lawrence raised an eyebrow at him, but just laughed a bit and pulled out of the cafe parking lot, taking them both to Lawrence’s new apartment. 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They do, in fact, get gayer than they already are. Adam makes a surprising discovery that has an even more surprising explanation behind it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically, Halloween happened, my birthday happened, homework happened, and then the flu happened. So here I am, just about completely recovered, writing about gay sex. My friend and I had a great conversation last night as I was writing the beginning of this on how "How the fuck is shit like 50 Shades of Gray published, with a movie and a really good soundtrack, and yet on the internet, thousands of teenagers can write the most amazing smut ever, post it on non-profit websites and be happy with views and comments, and yet no one acknowledges this? I'm sitting in my bedroom at 11 pm, covered in an Attack on Titan blanket with a 100.6 fever on my period writing better sex than that book can ever dream to accomplish! My inner goddess my ASS! Bullshit... grumblegrumble..."  
> I was frustrated last night. Our conversation eventually lead to cringe-worthy memories of 7th grade scene phases and in turn, I did not finish writing this. So today, here I am, giving you some Chainshipping sex.  
> Also this is my best fucking friend and she hasn't even seen Saw yet. This is absolute blasphemy. I didn't even realize. So I think we're spending Thanksgiving watching Saw. My body is ready...  
> Also, holy SHIT, big news! My fanfiction.net readers are apparently international, and a very friendly person from Czechoslovakia enjoys this story so much and is going to translate it to Czech on wattpad for them to read. I'm so, so HONORED this has never happened before!!!! I'm so excited!!! :D  
> So yeah! I'll shut up now, enjoy the ass fucking.

Okay, so this was happening. This was definitely fucking happening. Adam was taking off his shoes and Lawrence was hanging up his jacket by the door and they were about to go have _mind-blowing_ sex on Lawrence’s memory-foam mattress and satin blankets. 

 

_What the actual fuck. I must be dreaming._

 

Adam was jittery with excitement, covering it up by saying he was cold from the snow outside, hoping Lawrence thought the flush on his cheeks was from the bitter cold. They only had so many layers to remove right at the door, though. It wasn’t much longer before Adam was staring at the ground, nervously peeking at Lawrence as he loosened his tie, craning his neck and stretching those tendons in a way that made Adam chew his lip. _Shit-…_ he watched the way Lawrence’s dress shirt fell looser around his neck, showing the white curve of his undershirt. If he didn’t get that blue shirt off immediately, Adam might be ripping the buttons out. 

 

“Eager, are we?” Lawrence shifted his eyes over to Adam, noticing how Adam was staring hungrily at everything Lawrence did, eyes following the movements of his fingers. Adam’s face heated at being caught red-handed, but he wasn’t gonna lie about it now.

 

“Well, yeah,” Adam admitted softly, shifting from foot to foot. Lawrence’s lips quirked to the side. _He’s… cute. Really cute,_ Lawrence thought, feeling that his heart thudded a bit harder than it was a moment before.

 

Adam twitched slightly. “So you’re just gonna stare at me now, too?” He challenged, stepping closer to Lawrence and feeling his body hum with the close proximity between them. He could feel Lawrence’s body heat and they weren’t even touching. Adam tilted his head back, fixing Lawrence with a heavy-lidded gaze. Adam smiled cockily and “Why don’t you stop undressing me with your eyes and do it for real, _Larry…”_

 

Adam lost the ability to breath for a second as he was slammed against the door. His eyes widened in alarm before he felt heat wash over his body and everything caught up to him- oh _fuck_ , Lawrence just slammed him against the door and it was the hottest shit he’s _ever_ experienced- it was enough to rip a moan from Adam’s throat. It spilled from his lips and he had no time to cover himself up before Lawrence moved right down to his neck, breathing hot against it and sinking his teeth in. Adam gasped again, body rolling up into Lawrence’s.

 

“Is this what you’ve been waiting for?” Lawrence whispered against Adam’s jaw, and Adam whimpered, clinging to Lawrence’s shoulders weakly. 

 

“Larry, _fuck_ ,” Adam panted, “Please just- _fuck me_ already, just-“

 

“Say no more,” Lawrence smiled a little, satisfied at the response he got. “Grab on.” Adam reacted quickly, leaping up and wrapping his legs around Lawrence’s waist, gripping Lawrence’s broad shoulders as he was carried to the bedroom, Lawrence’s large hands holding his thighs.

 

Adam was pushed onto the bed, sinking into its memory foam surface, a small smirk lifting his lips. Lawrence gave him a quizzical stare.

 

“This bed is incredible,” Adam admitted, “I sat on the edge once when I was here, and when you went to the bathroom I laid down and smelt the pillows and imagined biting them as you fucked me, but you didn’t know that.” 

 

“What if I told you I noticed you laying there and I watched you for a few seconds before purposefully making a shuffling sound to make you get up and save yourself the embarrassment?” Lawrence retorted, making Adam’s eyes widen in realization. His teasing had backfired unexpectedly.

 

“Shut up and kiss me, god dammit,” Adam mumbled, pulling at Lawrence’s shirt and yanking him down until their lips crashed together. Both moaned at the collision, eyes fluttering shut as they experienced the moment. Adam rolled his hips up impatiently, a small sound catching in his throat at the friction. He pulled his lips away, gasping against Lawrence’s mouth, “Pants off, _now_.” 

 

“So impatient,” Lawrence teased, enjoying how frustrated Adam looked- did he even realize he was pouting? Lawrence had half a mind to stop and poke fun at Adam for it, but he admitted he was quite ready to remove layers himself. He began unbuttoning his shirt, taking interest in how Adam sat on his elbows and watched Lawrence’s hands go down further, licking his lips when the shirt was peeled off of his body. He was wearing a white t-shirt underneath that was tighter fitting, but Lawrence wasn’t too excited to remove it. He wasn’t as in-shape as he could be, and he noticed his age starting to show on his body, especially his torso, so he paused. What if he ruined the mood? What if-

 

“What the hell,” Adam whined, sitting up and grabbing at Lawrence’s shirt. “Get it off already, _shit_.” Dumbfounded, Lawrence allowed Adam to peel it off of him, and his eyes widened further when Adam began kissing at his collarbone and nipping in different spaces.

 

Lawrence hissed in pleasure. “Adam, what are you doing…” He shivered as Adam wrapped his arms around his waist, feeling a flush creep up the back of his neck at Adam’s eagerness. A moment ago, he was nervous about ruining everything because of his not-so-impressive physical form. But Adam was licking at his skin like it was candy, clinging to him and shaking with need and… Lawrence had never experienced this. He never felt so appreciated, so…

 

… sexy.

 

“Adam,” Lawrence said with a stern tone, and Adam snapped his head up, eyes clouded with desire. He was nuzzled against Lawrence’s sternum, and Lawrence smiled a little bit, but he was feeling self-conscious and so it quickly faded. “What are you doing?”

 

“Jesus fuck, Larry, what does it look like?” Adam mumbled, and Lawrence noticed how his cheeks turned a shade darker. “I’m doing what I’ve sort of fantasized about for months now, let a man live his dream.”

 

“You’ve fantasized about kissing my chest?” Lawrence asked doubtfully, and Adam playfully smacked his side. “Ow,” Lawrence complained jokingly, and Adam looked back up at him.

 

“Yes, because to me, you’re really fucking hot, okay,” Adam rushed out in one breath, “Now please do whatever you want with me, you old rich ass.”

 

“Well that’s nice of you to say,” Lawrence chuckled, raising a hand to ruffle Adam’s hair. “Is that what all this is about? Am I a sugar daddy?”

 

“Shut up, that’s fucking weird,” Adam pinched Lawrence’s side, making Lawrence squirm a little. “Keep taking this shit off.” His slender hands were cool, leaving icy burns down Lawrence’s back as he tugged at Lawrence’s pants. They then snaked to the front, unbuckling his belt and pulling it free from the loops. 

 

Lawrence decided to assist, leaning back slightly to unzip and unbutton his dress pants. “Alright, hold on,” Lawrence nudged at Adam so he had room to get the pants off. Adam felt his face burn as his eyes flicked between Lawrence’s legs. Lawrence was… quite… ready, to say the least.

 

Adam felt pretty dumb for staring. They weren’t teenagers experimenting for the first time. Why was he getting so worked up over seeing a hard dick covered by underwear? They were gonna be having sex. There was _no reason_ to be embarrassed over something so trivial. But there was something about it being Lawrence’s, and that he was hard for Adam and not anyone else, and he was gonna make Adam feel really, _really_ good… 

 

Adam shivered. “Let me take them off,” he insisted as he reached over, fingers tugging at the waistband before Lawrence placed his hand over Adam’s shaking fingers. Adam looked up, confused as his advances were stopped.

 

“Not so fast,” Lawrence spoke softly, “You’re still fully clothed. This isn’t any fair.” Adam blinked at him, forgetting that Lawrence might actually want to see him naked, too. His hands were slowly pushed aside and his flannel was pushed off his shoulders, leaving only the t-shirt beneath. Lawrence pulled it over his head, and Adam shuddered a little, shoulders rounding forward self-consciously. 

 

“Why are you so thin,” Lawrence remarked, and Adam felt like sinking into the mattress until he said, “You need to eat more. I’m making you eat more. But I do admit your small size is really cute, so stay small, but be healthy while doing it, alright?”

 

“Fine, mom,” Adam chuckled a little, grateful that Lawrence wasn’t repulsed by the way his skin and very few muscles clung to his frame. He might’ve actually squeaked a little as Lawrence ran his hands over his torso, moving them up to his chest, grazing his nipples and going back down to hold his waist. Adam was being warmed up slowly,his jeans getting tighter as his breathing became uneven. Being touched so slowly and lovingly… it felt like he was being admired, and Adam had never been admired for anything before. Especially not his naked body…

 

“Your skin is so soft,” Lawrence whispered, leaning in and licking at Adam’s jaw. Adam tilted his head back, chewing on the inside of his cheek as his body bent and melted right into Lawrence’s hands. Before he realized it, his pants were loosened and pushed down, and they were both in their socks and underwear. Adam peeked at Lawrence’s feet and his own, glaring just slightly. Lawrence noticed his irritated stare and laughed.

 

“What’s wrong?” Lawrence looked where their feet were, at the edge of the bed.

 

“We’d look really fucking stupid, screwing in nothing but socks,” Adam remarked. “Take them off.” 

 

“Alright then,” Lawrence didn’t argue, reaching back to peel off his socks. Before he could, Adam raised his feet and wiggled his toes, clearly too lazy to sit up and take them off himself, so by default, Lawrence had to remove them for Adam. Lawrence gave him a ‘ _fucking really_ ’ look before he scoffed and picked them off Adam’s feet in compliance to his silent demands. “Happy now, princess?”

 

“You know you wanted to see my feet,” Adam teased, “You’ve been _dying_ to this entire time. You freak.”

 

“Shut up, I don’t have a foot fetish,” Lawrence retorted. He reached back, yanking off his left sock, and then moving to his right sock. Once it was off, he tossed them to the ground carelessly.

 

“You so do,” Adam continued, “You want to feel my toes and-“ Adam’s words completely cut off, and Lawrence looked up in confusion, noticing Adam’s dumbfounded stare at his right foot.

 

 _Oh, that’s right_. Lawrence looked down at his prosthetic foot, now completely on display. And judging by Adam’s face…

 

“I… probably never mentioned that, did I,” Lawrence chuckled apologetically. “I mean, people assume when you’re missing a limb, you say, ‘Hi, my name is Lawrence and I only have one foot, wanna see?’ But that’s not really the case. You just kind of don’t talk about it unless someone asks, or sees it, I guess? Like a scar, or something.” 

 

“I…” Adam was speechless. How could he not have seen it before? There had to be some incident… Adam recalled the time Lawrence stayed over at his apartment after getting drunk. He didn’t remove Lawrence’s clothes, but he removed Lawrence’s shoes. Surely when he held Lawrence’s leg to pull the shoe off, he would of noticed how his ankle and foot were… harder? Unnatural? Maybe Adam was too drunk and tired to notice or care. “I just never noticed.”

 

“Yeah, that happens,” Lawrence shrugged a little. He paused, fixing a concerned look on Adam. “Wait, this doesn’t freak you out, does it?”

 

“No! Fuck, no,” Adam replied quickly. “I just. What the hell, you need to tell me about it when we’re done?” He flailed his hands a little. “I mean, there’s gotta be a crazy story behind this shit, you can’t just be missing a foot and not have something to say about it.”

 

“I guess,” Lawrence chuckled. He was leaning down, about to continue when Adam continued.

 

“I mean, like, a badass cop chase in a car accident, or like, you jumped from a ten-story building as you escaped from an assassin…” Lawrence stared at him blankly.

 

“Who do you think I am?” Lawrence shook his head as Adam speculated on the many reasons why his foot was missing. “Would you shut up and let me-“

 

“Or you had to saw it off to escape a life-or-death situation!” Adam seemed pleased with this result, ignoring Lawrence’s attempt to get on with it. “Bingo. You were going to die. Your loved ones needed you, so you sacrificed your own foot for their — _ahhh_ …! Fu-…”

 

… Lawrence found a better way to shut him up. He decided to cut to the chase and slip his fingers under Adam’s boxers, slipping his fingers around Adam’s length. Sure enough, mid-sentence, Adam’s words were cut off in favor of a beautiful, strained sound. Lawrence began stroking slowly, feeling victorious when the boxers got damp with precum. Adam was trembling, one hand reaching back and clenching onto the sheets, bunching them up between his tensed fingers. The other hand was thrown across his mouth and most of his face, allowing just enough space for him to peek over his fingers at Lawrence. When his eyes opened slightly, Lawrence pulled his hand away and tugged Adam’s boxers down his thighs. Adam lifted his hips to help, and once the fabric was tossed away, he lay there entirely exposed to Lawrence, feeling his heart race as Lawrence’s eyes feasted on the sight before him.

 

Adam shuddered under his heated stare, also looking over Lawrence’s body, frustrated that Lawrence still had boxers on. He sat up, reaching out and tugging them down without any other word. Lawrence helped him remove the last article of clothing, and then both of them had nothing to hide. They stared at each other for a brief moment before Lawrence crawled over Adam’s body, sliding his hand up Adam’s arms and gripping his wrists, pinning them down against the mattress as they kissed each other tenderly. Adam felt his heart race at the sheer compassion in the kiss, how Lawrence’s tongue slipped against his own just right… not to mention the way he was being constrained was a _huge_ turn-on. Adam groaned appreciatively, arching up into Lawrence’s body and gasping as their erections rubbed together.

 

Lawrence’s breath hitched at the same time, followed by a momentary pause in both their movements before they decided that was bullshit, why weren’t they doing that _again_ \- and their hips rocked together in tandem. Lawrence never imagined such a thing would feel so perfect… Adam never thought he could be _this_ turned on so soon. He didn’t want to come so quickly, so he pulled away from the kiss and breathed hotly against Lawrence’s lips.

 

“Alright, Dr. Gordon, time for my ass exam, please get the lubricant,” Adam mumbled, and Lawrence paused before snickering.

 

“Ass exam?” 

 

“Prostate, whatever,” Adam rolled his eyes, “The ass exam, the one where your doctor finger fucks you for cancer or some shit. But this time do it to make way for your massive dick, not to see if I’m gonna die from some terminal disease.” 

 

“What if, theoretically,” Lawrence drawled as he got off of Adam to get into the nightstand, “I was fingering you, and I found out you did have prostate cancer in the middle of it. What would we even do?”

 

“Fuck me anyways,” Adam shrugged, “Maybe I could die while having the best sex of my life. Literally, cause I wouldn’t get the chance to experience any other sex. And then you could put on my grave, ‘Died while being fucked in the ass by a sexy rich doctor. Yeah, you’re jealous, my ghost can sense it.’”

 

“What the hell, Adam,” Lawrence laughed, coating his fingers in the lubricant he finally found in the nightstand drawer. “That’s horrible.”

 

“True, but it’d be like, a great way to die,” Adam shrugged. “I mean, do you think the world would vote me #1 on the Funniest Ways to Die? Maybe you could win the reward for it…”

 

“Your mind goes… haywire in situations like these,” Lawrence observed, nudging Adam’s thighs apart. “Well, then I guess this is the examination, then…” 

 

“Oh, I’m ready, _doctor_ ,” Adam moaned in a girly, obnoxious way, grinning stupidly just as Lawrence pushed in the first finger. It felt strange, as Adam expected, so he waited as Lawrence moved his fingers-

 

“A- _ahh_ …!”

 

 _Oh._ Adam’s eyes snapped open as he realized that he just _moaned_. And Lawrence was smirking like he just won a bet of some sort. Adam blinked in confusion at Lawrence, still tingly from the unexpected pleasure. 

 

“Hey, what the hell w— _aaa_ … was that…” Adam sighed in the middle of his question as a sudden _really_ nice, _really_ smooth feeling of total pleasure rippled through his body. He felt his limbs go weaker, his body flushing hotter with the sensations. “La—Larry, _what_ — _hnnn_ ….!!” 

 

“I may be a brain surgeon,” Lawrence murmured, “But to get my degree, in college I had to study a variety of fields in my early years, and knowing how to give a prostate exam was what I believed to be a useless skill to have, considering my field of interest,” he explained as he continued to do that _thing_ that made Adam’s breath stop in his throat, that made him shudder and gasp and choke on his own moans. “But… turns out it wasn’t useless after all, since it’s doing this to you…” 

 

“F-Fuck, La-Larry, this shit isn’t fair… How are you so— _so_ … _fuck_ … fuck me… god, _fuck me…_ ” Adam was trembling even more than before, his cock pulsing hard and leaking from the tip enough to drip on his stomach. Lawrence watched with hazy eyes, swallowing dryly. He wanted to make Adam feel even better… and considering their actions… Lawrence looked down. Adam was stretched enough. 

 

He pulled his fingers out gently and grabbed for the condom he pulled out when he got the lubricant, opening it and rolling it onto his own erection. Adam’s chest was rising and falling, a pinkish tint coloring his skin and making him even more delectable to Lawrence. He gripped Adam’s thighs and spread them further, pulling him down so that the head of his cock pressed against Adam’s opening. 

 

“Adam, can I-“

 

“What the hell are-… _hah_ … what are you _waiting_ for, _please_ ,” Adam cut him off impatiently, making Lawrence smirk a bit. Typical for Adam to be fussy about the timing. Lawrence was trying to be good and ask for consent, but Adam just expected him to know he had full consent. Either way, that was enough of a _yes_ for Lawrence, and he eased himself inside, feeling his entire body hum with the pleasure of Adam’s heat surrounding him.

 

Once fully inside, Adam was breathing irregularly, reaching up and throwing his arms around Lawrence’s shoulders. One hand reached up and gripped at his hair. “L-Larry, Larry, _please_ …” 

 

“Impatient, hm…” Lawrence hummed teasingly, giving them both a moment before he rolled his hips back out and in again. It was slow and experimental, making sure Lawrence did all the right things- and judging by the way Adam choked out a small sound and moved his hips in response… 

 

… yeah, he could continue. 

 

Lawrence got himself a grip on the mattress, fingertips digging into the satin sheets as he began to speed up his pace. He focused on how Adam gasped and made a more beautiful expression each time, how Lawrence wanted to see more of that face… he rocked his hips into Adam’s harder, sharper, until he was basically ramming into Adam and Adam was yanking his hair, gasping out Lawrence’s name between every breath and moan that spilled from his lips.

 

Adam was on cloud nine. He wasn’t here, there was no way being fucked could feel so damn good, so perfect… he wasn’t even aware of his own words and sounds. His throat was acting on its own, his body driven by the amazing feelings it was experiencing. He just wanted to bring himself to the edge. He wanted to release and feel that sweet, honey-like feeling afterwords…

 

“L-Lawrence, Lawrence, L— _fuck_ …!” Adam was a mess, his hair was sticking to his forehead and he was burning up like crazy, but he felt so good that his toes were curling and his grip on Lawrence’s hair got tighter. He loved how Lawrence smelled, the way he was gasping and murmuring Adam’s name onto Adam’s lips… their lips were close, and Adam reached up, kissing him and moving his hands to cup Lawrence’s head. Their tongues met desperately, momentarily before Adam had to tilt his head back to breath, gasping as he felt everything rise-

 

“L-Lawrence, I…. _hnnahhh_ …!”

 

And there it was. Adam pulled on Lawrence’s hair hard as he felt his release spill all over his stomach. He tensed and shook as he rode it out, gripping onto Lawrence for stability as Lawrence rocked his hips one, two, three more times and suddenly choked out a sound- “A- _Adam_ …” and stilled. Adam felt his body loosen as he laid back down on the bed, his lungs desperately trying to get air inside of them. Lawrence shuddered and slowly lowered himself, holding himself above Adam’s body before gathering the strength to gently pull out. Adam hissed softly and with shaking hands, Lawrence pulled the condom off and tossed it towards the waste basket. Miraculously, he made the shot. 

 

“Yay,” Adam sighed tiredly, having noticed his accomplishment. Lawrence raised a fist in celebration before flopping it back down, sighing and laying next to Adam. Together they panted, regaining their stability before Adam turned his head to look at Lawrence, waiting to see the blue eyes he was so drawn to focus on him. 

 

“Okay, we need to do that again, way more often,” Adam proclaimed.

 

“Agreed,” Lawrence nodded against his pillow slowly, mind still swimming with what had just happened.

 

Just as he thought Adam was asleep, the smaller man turned and curled into Lawrence’s chest. He snaked an arm around Lawrence’s waist, nuzzling into his chest and mumbling, “So tell me about the foot.”

 

“Oh,” Lawrence shifted a bit, pulling the covers over them and smiling when Adam nuzzled even closer. “Well. It’s not _that_ exciting.”

 

“It’s gotta be,” Adam persisted. “Every foot-losing story has to be intense.”

 

“It… well,” Lawrence cleared his throat. “When I was 14, me and some friends decided to screw around in the forest preserve. The one on Frankfurt Drive-“

 

“Yep, I know of it,” Adam nodded and waited for him to continue.

 

“So we saw a weird sign that had a carving on it saying ‘No Trespassing… or else’ with what looked like a… some sort of garden gnome drawn next to it? It was weird so we went to investigate it. We were 10 minutes past the sign when a spear came flying and stabbed the trunk of the tree next to my head. Well, everyone stopped, stared, and of course, I was shocked and frozen in my steps. And then a second later there was this god-awful screech, and from the bushes ahead pops out this crazy old man with a beard to his waist wearing a unicorn horn on his head.”

 

“What the everloving fuck,” Adam laughs, “Oh my god, go on.”

 

“He says something in another language and begins charging at us at breakneck speed,” Lawrence recalls with a shiver. “This guy was high on cocaine or something. So the other kids scream and run away, and I’m frozen in my place and this crazy guy and I make eye contact as he comes closer. After that, I run away too and we eventually outrun him.”

 

“That’s it?” Adam noticed the pause in his voice. “So… how did your foot…” 

 

Lawrence nodded, “Yeah, so… years later. Alison Diana and I are hiking in this part of the woods. The sign is gone, and I remembered the story, but I didn’t want to scare Diana, so I didn’t say anything. She was only… three at the time? Plus the man was ancient when we saw him all those years ago, so I figured he died off by now. Anyways, Alison and Diana were a bit ahead, and I stopped to take a picture of a cardinal I saw in the trees. I wanted to get closer, so I stepped off the trail to get a better shot. I got the shot, turned to go back to the trail, took a few steps to the right cause I noticed a slippery-looking spot, and next thing I know, my foot’s in a bear trap.”

 

“Holy fuck!” Adam exclaimed, looking up at Lawrence in shock. “Was it…?”

 

“I’m totally convinced he remembered me and did this on purpose,” Lawrence hissed. “He had to have seen me earlier, set up bear traps to get me eventually, and succeeded.”

 

“Shit, what the hell,” Adam exhaled, “So then what?”

 

“I screamed and fell,” Lawrence explained, “Alison ran over to me, Diana started crying, and she called the police. They brought the ambulance as close as they could, but then had to carry me on a stretcher down the trail. They investigated the fingerprints on the trap and found the man, put him in jail, and since the bear trap was rusty and filthy, they feared an infection that could kill, so they just amputated my foot.”

 

“What the fuck…” Adam shook his head. 

 

“The guy died like, 2 years ago or something,” Lawrence shrugged, “I checked up every now and then to see his status in prison, and one day it just showed that he was dead. He never had a state issued ID or anything, so he was just called Crazy Sam.”

 

“Crazy Sam wanted revenge for trespassing so he took your foot,” Adam stated. He then laughed a bit. “Lawrence, that’s a fucking whack story.” 

 

“I guess,” Lawrence laughed a little. “It was so ridiculous though.”

 

“It was whack,” Adam corrected. Lawrence rolled his eyes. A moment of silence stretched between them. Adam removed his arm from Lawrence’s waist and stretched.

 

“Nn… can we shower?” Adam peeked at Lawrence, and Lawrence smiled at his unknowingly adorable expression- pleading and puppy eyed. He ruffled Adam’s hair, making Adam smile slightly. 

 

“Sure,” Lawrence agreed, and together they got up and headed for the bathroom. As soon as they walked in, Adam stopped.

 

“Yes!” Adam fist pumped and smiled giddily. Lawrence was turning on the hot water, but he looked over his shoulder.

 

“What is it?” Lawrence inquired. Adam bounced a little and turned to Lawrence. 

 

“I just scratched ‘have sex on Christmas’ off my bucket list,” Adam exclaimed excitedly, and Lawrence shook his head before laughing at the way Adam got so cheerful from this achievement.

 

“So did I,” Lawrence responded, making Adam all the more joyful. 

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam went to Lawrence's office for his job, but got a little more than he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yooooo! So yeah, it hasn't been that long since I've updated- (apologizes profusely to the readers of Devil's Suture)- but here I am. This fic is close to ending. I'd give it a chapter or two more and I'll be about done. I'm still feeling pretty inspired at the moment, so I may write another chapter today or tomorrow. If I don't update by then, you know that I got lazy and decided to sleep or something instead. Soooorrryyy... anyways, enjoy!

“You gotta stop,” Adam was reminded again. This was probably the thirteenth time today, but Adam stopped counting after the fifth time.

 

“I’m trying,” was his excuse. Amanda didn’t buy it. She rolled her eyes, tapping information into the cash register.

 

“You’ve said that at _least_ four times now,” she insisted. “Think of a new excuse for zoning out.”

 

“Do you want the real reason? Is that it?” Adam glared at her. “You asked for it. It’s cause I keep imagining Lawrence’s dick _pounding_ into me over a-“

 

Adam cut off as someone cleared their throat, and his eyes quickly moved to the customer. Instantly, his entire face plunged into a bright red blush.

 

“Well, I wasn’t quite expecting to hear that first thing in the morning, but I’m not complaining,” Lawrence chuckled, fixing Adam with a bemused look. Amanda was hardly keeping herself standing, leaning over the counter and laughing hysterically. Adam was stammering on his words, feeling the entire world spin under his feet as blood rushed to his cheeks.

 

Oh, how he wished he could go back in time and slap himself.

 

“Classic!” Amanda blurted out, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes. “Aha… shit, my mascara is running… fuck you both,” she sighed, grabbing her purse, “I’ll be back… oh my god.” She turned to the direction of the bathroom to fix her makeup.

 

Adam was staring at the floor, shrinking into himself. “Shut the fuck up,” he snipped as soon as Lawrence breathed in to say something. Instead, he chuckled again, reaching over the counter to lift Adam’s chin. Adam looked up confusedly, eyes shimmering from the embarrassing moment when he was suddenly pecked on the lips.

 

“You’re really cute,” Lawrence informed with their lips brushing still, and Adam pushed himself away, crossing his arms indignantly.

 

“It’s Monday, so I’m assuming you want a fucking Almond Joy latte, 16 oz, you goddamn prick,” Adam hissed, turning around and preparing the order without even waiting for an answer. Lawrence grinned, taking his usual seat and resting his face in his hand as he watched Adam flitter around the cafe, preparing his coffee. Amanda emerged from the bathroom, makeup no longer smudged, and she smirked at them briefly. Another customer came inside and she took his order, calling it to Adam, who whipped up the espresso while Lawrence’s own drink was brewing.

 

By the time he received his drink, the cafe got busier, requiring both Adam and Amanda’s work and attention. Lawrence briefly wondered if anyone else worked at the cafe, but was then reminded that Adam didn’t work weekends, and the cafe was still open, so there must be others. He briefly saw other employees darting around Wednesday and Thursday mornings, so he assumed Adam and Amanda just had the most shifts together.

 

Bored thoughts like this drifted in and out of his mind as he drank down his latte. It was busy, as most Mondays were, and Amanda needed an extra set of hands, so Lawrence said his goodbyes and made his way to work, telling Adam he’d see him on their lunch break, as usual.

 

—

 

“So,” Adam said particularly loudly, and Lawrence fixed his attention fully on Adam, who was fiddling with his fingers. “It’s been a while since you saved that kid’s life.”

 

Lawrence blanked. He saved kids often, but… “Um…” Lawrence was momentarily stuck.

 

“The… his name was Edgar or something,” Adam scrunched his eyebrows and Lawrence suddenly remembered.

 

“Oh, Ethan,” Lawrence recalled, “Ethan Hanover. The interview. Right.” He nodded, “What about him?”

 

“My agent wants to do a follow-up on him,” Adam explained. “Like, how he’s doing now, recovered from the surgery and all, and they think it would be nice if we got some shots of you giving him a checkup or something. Does he come by for checkups or something?”

 

“Yeah,” Lawrence nodded, “I mean, he’s done with therapy, but he’ll come back for a regular checkup probably in a week or so. Are you asking if you can film in my office?” Adam nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine,” Lawrence shrugged, “I’ll let you know what day exactly. If anyone gives you a hard time, call me and I’ll get you in.”

 

“Thanks,” Adam smiled a bit, and Lawrence felt his heart flip a little. He adored Adam’s little sideways smile.

 

Almost as soon as it appeared, it was gone, and a macaroni noodle landed on Lawrence’s shoulder. “The hell?” Lawrence flicked it off, noticing Adam’s unamused stare and raised fork that must’ve just catapulted the macaroni moments before.

 

“You’re doing it again,” Adam mumbled, cheeks tinted a warm red, and Lawrence paused, tilting his head.

 

“Doing what?”

 

“Making the face,” Adam insisted, continuing to eat his macaroni. “The _gay_ face.”

 

“Oh, excuse me,” Lawrence smirked, “I wasn’t the one screaming about ass-fucking this morning-,” he dodged a second catapulted macaroni noodle, “-in front of everyone else.”

 

“Fuck off,” Adam mumbled, and Lawrence smiled again. He was probably making ‘the gay face’ but he didn’t care- he really admired Adam the more he looked at his features, his mannerisms, his _everything_.

 

—

 

Adam was making his way down the many hallways of the hospital half an hour early, clutching his camera bag close to his side as he passed nurses and doctors, janitors, patients and visitors. He turned a few more corners, a bit irritated that the next hallway looked exactly the same as the one he was just in and wondered why Lawrence decided to be here every day. He brushed the thought aside as he finally reached the office with an engraved name tag on the door, ‘Dr. Lawrence Gordon.’

 

Adam thought of barging in and making a strange remark, but for all he knew, Lawrence could have someone else in there- his boss, a patient, whatnot, so Adam politely knocked instead.

 

“Come in,” Lawrence’s muffled voice called out, and Adam turned the handle, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. Lawrence turned over his shoulder, smiling at Adam. “Hey there.”

 

“Yo,” Adam waved, “Where should I put this stuff?”

 

“Ah, over there is fine,” Lawrence nodded to a bench by the window, and Adam walked over, placing his bag down and sighing. They had some time before Ethan and his parents would be there.

 

“Nice place you got here,” Adam remarked, glancing around at the office. He noticed a few picture frames of him and his daughter, and with a bit of delight, he saw some pictures that Adam had taken himself. He noticed some gaps between the pictures and assumed they were once pictures of his wife. Instead there were some small potted plants.

 

“Ah, yeah, I suppose,” Lawrence responded distractedly, typing a few last things before standing and stretching. “Sorry, I had to finish that report.”

 

“It’s fine,” Adam shrugged, “So… how’s it going?” Adam felt like asking why he was here half an hour early, since Lawrence seemed to have a very high position and was busy often. “I thought you had to like… teach the college students anatomy or whatever you talk about,” Adam questioned.

 

“That’s every other weekday,” Lawrence stated, “I give lessons to the aspiring brain surgeons.” He stepped closer to Adam. “It’s been alright, a pretty slow day.”

 

“That’s… good, I guess,” Adam said softly, eyes flicking up at Lawrence, noticing the way Lawrence had stepped closer. His heart thumped and he stared at Lawrence’s face. “What’s… um…” he trailed off, and Lawrence smirked a bit. Adam caught his eyes, noticing the familiar gleam and swallowing thickly. Heat began to thicken the air around them, and Adam’s eyes widened. “Wait, hold on, don’t tell me you’re actually planning to-“

 

“Fuck you in my office?” Lawrence finished, making Adam’s face blaze red. Lawrence stepped froward and Adam leaned back, heart fluttering as he was suddenly pressed against Lawrence’s desk. “Cause I would like to.”

 

“I-“ Adam breathed shakily, suddenly jittery because _holy shit this is really hot and I’ve only ever seen this shit in pornos, is this actually happening right now-_ “Won’t… someone hear…” Adam’s voice dwindled, and he tilted his head, noticing the way Lawrence was leaning in, shivering when his hands were placed on Adam’s hips. His doubts faded away as their lips met, and Adam curved into Lawrence’s body, a soft whimper leaking past his lips. He couldn’t think straight, especially with how quickly he got hard. Lawrence’s leg pushed its way in between Adam’s, and Adam gasped, rutting against his thigh eagerly.

 

“Shit…” Adam hissed in between kisses, melting into Lawrence’s hands and tugging at his tie, bringing him closer. He groaned when Lawrence began to pull off his flannel, arching to make the clothing fall off easier. He gasped when Lawrence’s cool fingers brushed his sides, slipping under his t-shirt and sliding the shirt up until it was pulled off. Adam pushed himself closer to Lawrence once he was shirtless, desiring more heat, more friction, more _Lawrence_.

 

“Mmh,” Lawrence groaned into his mouth, then pulled away and ran his hands down Adam’s sides. Adam met his gaze, biting his lip and feeling the way Lawrence was moving his body, guiding it until Adam turned around completely. He leaned back, feeling Lawrence’s erection through his clothes and purposefully rubbing his ass against it. Lawrence shuddered at the feeling, moving his hands down Adam’s body and tugging Adam’s jeans down. Blushing slightly, Adam allowed them to fall with his boxers, closing his eyes as Lawrence leaned down, kissing at Adam’s neck and shoulder. He bit down, sucking harshly and making Adam gasp, covering his mouth with his hand before he cried out too loud. Through shimmering eyes, he gazed ahead of them, noticing the door.

 

“L-Larry,” Adam whispered, “T-The door. It… it’s not locked…” Lawrence grunted a bit, licking the mark he made, and Adam glanced down at him worriedly. “Shouldn’t- Shouldn’t you…”

 

“I will,” Lawrence assured him, “Here.” He reached into his briefcase, which was seated next to his desk, pulling out lube and a condom. “Start preparing yourself.”

 

Cheeks burning, Adam took the lube and watched Lawrence as he stepped away, suddenly feeling a bit cold without Lawrence pressed to his back. Whining softly, Adam opened the bottle and put some lube on his fingers, lifting a knee and leaning on Lawrence’s desk. He laid out on it, face-first, and reached behind him, pressing his fingers against his entrance experimentally. Lawrence locked the door, then turned, removing his coat and tossing it over his swivel chair. He stopped, watching Adam’s face twist as he inserted a finger inside of himself. Lawrence licked his lips, heat settling between his legs hotter than before at the sight of Adam bent over his desk, fingering himself…

 

Adam’s eyes shot up, looking at Lawrence desperately. “Get back over here,” he whimpered, and Lawrence smirked a bit, walking back over and looking at Adam hungrily. He admired the way Adam looked with his fingers shoved inside of him, panting and heated… He leaned over Adam’s body, kissing the back of his neck and breathing hotly over his ear as he moved his hand over Adam’s own, guiding it, gripping Adam’s hand and making him finger himself harder. Adam gasped, clenching his fist tighter and ducking his head in embarrassment, trying to silence his moans.

 

Lawrence licked and sucked on Adam’s back, leaving marks as he slowly guided Adam’s fingers in and out of himself. Adam shuddered and whimpered, panting softly and slowly losing control. He paused when Lawrence’s hand disappeared, eyes flicking over and noticing how he grabbed the lube. Blushing more, Adam turned his eyes away once again, then felt Lawrence pulling his hand out of himself. Adam removed it, moving his arm away and gasping as Lawrence’s own fingers were plunged inside of him.

 

“D-Doctor…” Adam gasped, instantly blushing and folding his arms in front of his face to hide it. _Well… fuck,_ _that… slipped out accidentally._ It was _certainly_ not part of the plan and Adam was about ready to crawl in a hole, but Lawrence pushed his fingers in deeper, brushing Adam’s prostate almost right away. Adam chomped down on his lip, whining loudly and trembling as Lawrence leaned over him.

 

“You’re being a very good patient…” Lawrence’s raspy words heated Adam’s ear, his lips brushing against the cartilage. Adam gasped again, breath fogging the glass on the desk’s surface. His fingers twitched and brushed against the cool surface, and it was only when his body arched again did his flushed cock press against the glass. The cold sensation made Adam groan, tilting his head to glance at Lawrence desperately. Lawrence met his gaze, giving him a playful look before moving his fingers again, and Adam’s mouth fell open, another moan falling out. Precum smeared on the desk below him, and he shivered, closing his jaw again and swallowing.

 

“P-please…” Adam begged softly, pressing back against Lawrence’s fingers.

 

“Please what, now?” Lawrence teased, knowing what Adam desired, yet still wanting to hear it. Adam gripped his fingers in frustration, closing his eyes momentarily before looking at Lawrence from over his shoulder.

 

“Please fuck me, Doctor…” he breathed, and Lawrence’s gaze darkened. _Well, that must’ve worked_ , Adam thought with smug satisfaction, feeling victorious when he saw Lawrence’s heated gaze. He smirked at this thought, and it only made Lawrence more determined to drown his senses with pleasure and make him unable to grin. Adam was up for the challenge, and he chewed his lip again as Lawrence opened the condom, tossing the wrapper in the wastebasket and rolling it onto himself. Adam spread his legs a bit wider, heart slamming his chest harder at the thought of being fucked over an office desk. Only in his wildest fantasies did he imagine this scenario, but it was truly happening now… Adam contained a stupid smile of excitement, and felt his breath hitch when Lawrence pressed himself against Adam’s entrance. Anticipation ate at Adam’s mind, making him whimper, and Lawrence huffed a little in amusement before pushing himself inside.

 

“Nnnh- fuck, _yes_ , Doctor…” Adam sighed, loving the tingling sensation he felt while getting filled by Lawrence. “Yes…” He closed his eyes, simply feeling himself stretch, clutching at nothing as his fingers smudged the glass of the desk surface. Lawrence exhaled sharply, collecting himself as he pushed all the way into Adam, eyes blurring with pleasure as he watched himself sink into Adam. Lawrence’s eyes trailed up Adam’s body leisurely, drinking in the way Adam’s back was arched, how Adam struggled to find stability against his desk, how his face was flushed red and his eyes were watching Lawrence hungrily.

 

 _It’s too much… I love it…_ Adam thought desperately, heart pounding endlessly as he adjusted to Lawrence’s size. Adam’s chest rose and fell quickly, his length throbbing as it was pressed against the desk. He grit his teeth, a strained whimper building in his throat as Lawrence began to move.

 

“F-Fuh… La-… _Larry_ … h-hah…” Adam panted, unable to think anymore as he squirmed and pressed back against Lawrence’s length. “M-More, please…” he begged, letting out a soft sob as Lawrence suddenly thrust in harder and deeper, making white spark in the corners of his vision. Adam jerked slightly, craving more as Lawrence repeated the action. Lawrence reached out, gripping Adam’s hair and pushing his head down against the desk, rolling his hips forward and driving himself deep into Adam. Adam gasped, saliva dripping out from his mouth onto the desk as he was held down firmly. His knee was slipping off the edge of the desk, but he hiked it up weakly, blushing when Lawrence placed his other hand under Adam’s thigh and held it against the desk. Adam felt himself drowning in pleasure, fingertips scraping at the desk as he was fucked roughly over and over.

 

“L-Law-La— haghnn…!” Adam could hardly speak, his throat tight as he gasped, jerking and writhing under Lawrence’s strong grip. Lawrence breathed heavily, lost in the feeling of being buried deep inside Adam. Heat surrounded every inch of him, and just watching Adam twitch and arch into his touch… it was indescribable. Lawrence hissed slightly, removing the hand from Adam’s hair to yank his tie loose. He untied it with one shaking hand, continuously rocking his hips into Adam, and then leaned forward. He removed his other hand from Adam’s thigh, taking the tie and wrapping it around Adam’s head, stuffing the fabric in his mouth.

 

Adam’s eyes widened as he was gagged, heart rate spiking and making his erection throb. _Oh fuck, this is hot…_ he thought desperately, feeling himself get even more turned on as the tie was tightened around his head. He gazed up at Lawrence gingerly, inhaling through his nose as Lawrence continued to fuck him.

 

Lawrence’s throat went dry at the sight, heat pulsating through his length as he pushed himself deeper into Adam, pressing onto his prostate. Adam cried out, but it was muffled by the tie, and the sound… Lawrence couldn’t remember the last time he was so riled up.

 

Adam clamped his teeth down on the tie harshly as Lawrence pressed against his prostate again, this time harder and sharper. His guttural cries were partially silenced, merely soft sounds lost in the damp fabric. He squirmed again, arching and choking out Lawrence’s name as he came, spilling out against the glass surface of the desk, tensing as the waves of pleasure washed through him during his climax. The tightening caused Lawrence to pause and gasp, and he rocked himself in and our a few more times, clenching Adam’s waist as he came within Adam, shuddering in relief.

 

Adam lay there for a few moments, breathing heavily, and Lawrence did the same, leaning over Adam’s body exhaustedly before reaching over and gently removing the tie from Adam’s head. Adam moved his jaw around, licking his lips and peeking up at Lawrence as he pulled out of Adam.

 

Adam turned around stiffly, leaning against Lawrence’s desk and gripping the edge tightly. He gazed at Lawrence with hooded eyes, watching as Lawrence removed the condom and dropped it into the wastebasket, then zippered up his pants and buckled his belt. Adam ran a hand through his hair, sighing deeply and smirking as Lawrence inspected his tie.

 

“Are you putting it back on?” Adam questioned, and Lawrence shrugged, adjusting it accordingly and tying it again. Adam’s shoulders shook with laughter. He would take the shots during the checkup and grin when they appeared in the newspaper, thinking, _Yeah, that tie was stuffed in my mouth ten minutes before as Dr. Gordon fucked me against his desk,_ but that was a detail that could be left out of public knowledge.

 

Lawrence smirked at him and stepped over to the mirror hanging in the office, fixing his hair with a few quick swipes. He tugged at his clothes a couple times and like that, he looked as if nothing occurred, despite a slight flush on his cheeks. Adam smiled a bit and pulled up his boxers and pants, grabbing his t-shirt and slipping it over his head. He then looked at the desk doubtfully.

 

“Uhm, what should we do about that…?” Adam gestured towards the stains on the desk, and Lawrence scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously.

 

“Ah, wait,” Lawrence suddenly remembered, “I have wipes.” He pulled open a drawer and took out a container of wet wipes, pulling some out and wiping down the desk. He then used some dry napkins to finish off, and the desk looked as orderly as before. The smell of the wet wipes was strong, but not strong enough to mask their former activities- Lawrence made sure to pump some hand sanitizer into the palm of his hand, and its crisp scent took over all others.

 

“Brilliant,” Adam grinned, and stepped over, leaning up on his tiptoes to press a kiss to Lawrence’s lips. “That was sexy as hell, you know.”

 

“Y-You liked the, uh,” Lawrence stuttered, and Adam nodded before he could finish his question. Adam glanced down at his tie knowingly, mischief sparkling in his eyes just as a swift knock was delivered to the door.

 

“Dr. Gordon, the Hanover family is here,” a woman’s voice called out, and Adam held back laughter as he stepped away, grabbing his flannel and throwing it back on. Lawrence opened the door for them, smiling brightly.

 

“Welcome, it’s good to see you!” Lawrence beamed, and the nurse gave the room a suspicious glance before walking away. Adam used all of his self control to keep from doubling over because _holy shit she knows._

 

“This is Adam,” Lawrence nodded to Adam, who waved casually. “He’s going to take some pictures of the check-up today for the paper.” Behind the Hanover parents and Ethan stood a woman, her hair tied back neatly.

 

“Oh, Sarah,” Adam waved again, “Hey there.” She smiled and waved back, and Lawrence looked at him questioningly. “Oh, right,” Adam remembered he should probably explain who she was. “This is Ms. Sarah Goodman, my coworker, and she’s gonna interview the Hanover parents for the paper as well as Law— uh, Dr. Gordon,” he corrected himself quickly, feeling himself blush slightly when he said ‘doctor.’ Lawrence contained any teasing remarks and casually invited her inside.

 

—

 

“Hey…” Adam paused as a hand gripped the back of his shirt when he was on his way out of the office, now that the interview and checkup were complete. Adam looked over his shoulder, eyes widening when Lawrence pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

 

Adam couldn’t help it. A smile spread across his cheeks and he nodded, then followed the others out of Lawrence’s office.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam's got a rival and it's putting him in a bad mood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna play a game.
> 
> No, not like that. Heheh... 
> 
> Try and find all the Brandon Rogers references in this chapter. I'm convinced Adam and Brandon are the same person. Also, two tumblr text posts. I'll link them all at the end.
> 
> Short chapter but I felt like cracking some jokes with Brandon/Adam.

Chapter 11

 

Before he was in this honeymoon phase of their relationship, Adam would of gagged at seeing someone giddily invested in romance. He was awfully hypocritical now, considering the way he practically skipped into the hospital about a week and a half later, plastic bag in hand.

 

The staff at the hospital recognized him now and hardly questioned him when he walked in the front doors. He made a beeline to Lawrence’s office, humming under his breath along with the song playing on his headphones. Once he arrived at the familiar door, he tugged a headphone from his ear and stepped inside.

 

“Larry, I brought your favorite-“

 

Adam paused, staring wide-eyed at the woman leaning towards him, eyes shimmering and smile beaming. Lawrence was smiling back, but it fell instantly when he turned to the door only to be lifted again, brighter than before.

 

“Adam!” He greeted cheerfully, and the woman glared at Adam harshly.

 

Well, well.

 

Adam glared right back at her, walking over to Lawrence and handing him the bag. “Lunch for you. 6 inches, toasted, Spicy Italian,” Adam recalled, all with his eyes on the woman standing by his desk.

 

_The desk Lawrence fucked me on just last week, but I bet you don’t know that, skank._

 

Adam quirked a smile at her. “Since Larry is on break now, I’m sure any discussions about work can wait, can’t they?” Lawrence seemed not to notice the tension, and he looked between Adam and his coworker.

 

“Ah, yeah, if you wouldn’t mind, Lisa,” Lawrence flashed a polite smile at her. “We can continue our discussion shortly.”

 

“Of course, Dr. Gordon,” Lisa nodded curtly, then shot a glare at Adam once again, tossing her black hair over her shoulder as she strut out of the office.

 

“What a bitch,” Adam hissed, and Lawrence looked at him with surprise in his eyes. “She was giving you this look and I wanted to throw her off a building.”

 

“You catch on quickly,” Lawrence said, and Adam looked at him with slight shock and confusion. Lawrence cleared his throat. “We had a one-night stand before. She keeps trying to have us hook up again.”

 

“I see,” Adam narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn’t think much on Lawrence cheating on his wife, but he didn’t trust the woman at all. “She better keep her distance.”

 

“Unfortunately, it’s hard when I have to work with her daily,” Lawrence sighed, moving to sit down and eat his sandwich. “I have to be friendly and professional, but it’s annoying to have to deal with her advances…”

 

Adam didn’t respond to that. Instead, he sat down and pulled out his own sandwich, listening to Lawrence talk about his work day so far.

 

—

 

“Welcome to Chance in Counter!”

 

Amanda welcomed a customer, and then continued cleaning the table tops. She always did the welcome, since Adam couldn’t be relied on, since he would rather shoot himself in the foot than sound so painfully cheerful.

 

Adam handed another customer their drink, then turned to the person approaching the counter. “May I take your order?” Adam asked, the looked up at their face. Immediately, he gagged. “Oh, it’s _you_.”

 

The woman from Lawrence’s office gave him a confused face, then narrowed her eyes. “Excuse me?”

 

Adam smiled a bit. This just got incredibly interesting. “What would you like to _drink_ , ma’am?” He asked tensely. She gave him another look, but seemed too tired to argue. She must be on her way to work, too.

 

“Americano, 12 ounces,” she said curtly. Adam tapped the order in the register and took her payment, then went to make the drink.

 

It wasn’t going to be good. He screwed up the order on purpose and gave it to her, watching as she took a sip. Her eyes bugged and she pulled it away instantly, gagging slightly, to Adam’s delight.

 

“How did you get this coffee to taste like piss?” She snapped, narrowing her eyes angrily at him, probably furious that she wasted her money on it.

 

“I used your panties as a goddamn filter,” Adam retorted back at her, and her jaw dropped, looking down at the coffee before she threw it in the trash and stormed out. Adam grinned triumphantly, and he could physically feel Amanda’s glare into the side of his head.

 

He didn’t regret his comment in the slightest.

 

—

 

“So this guy ordered a hazelnut latte, right,” Adam explained to his best friend Scott, nearing the end of his shift.

 

“Right,” Scott nodded.

 

“He came back a few minutes later, nearly in tears, asking if this drink would make his date think he’s gay,” Adam continued with a deadpan expression. “I mean, what the fuck does that even mean? Since when are drinks gay?” Scott shrugged, and Adam continued to rant. “People tell me all the time that coffee has gender. ‘That’s a Lady coffee,’ people try to say. It’s fucking _bean water._ ”

 

“I can’t believe I’m actually considering that statement, but,” Scott tapped his fingers on the counter. “Maybe they’re actually telling you that their coffee has an important status. It’s like calling someone ‘Lady Smith’ rather than Ms. Smith. ‘Lady Coffee.’”

 

“Oh shit,” Adam rolled his eyes, “I was in the presence of bean water royalty. Oh fuck, I must have looked like such a rube. Such a fool…”

 

Scott snorted at his comments and sipped at his iced house brew. “You’re more sour than usual,” he observed Adam’s exasperated movements. A customer came in before Adam could answer him, ordering an espresso frantically and digging through his bag.

 

“That’ll be $3.76, please,” Adam read out flatly, and the customer quite literally threw a handful of change onto the counter. Adam looked down at the coins, unimpressed, and glared at the customer. “Are you trying to give me a fucking seizure?”

 

The customer didn’t seem to answer him. Adam rolled his eyes and made the espresso, leaving the change sprawled out on the counter. He handed the drink to the man before even trying to count the money. “Just go,” Adam advised, and the man nodded, rushing out of the cafe immediately.

 

“The fuck…?” Scott raised an eyebrow and Adam shrugged. Such encounters were not uncommon, apparently. Scott continued drinking his coffee when a woman stumbled inside with three toddlers clinging to her legs.

 

“Thanks for bringing your fucking kids,” Adam grumbled, probably loud enough for her to hear. Scott nearly did a spittake, taking a mental note to come and watch Adam bitch more often. The lady ordered a coffee and the kids picked out brownies from the pastry section. Unamused and unfazed, Adam glanced at the brownies in the display case.

 

“Y’know, you shouldn’t eat those,” Adam gave the kids a distant look. “They’re three months past the date. They’ll make you see through time…” The kids looked somehow intrigued, and the mother seemed to not even notice the comment, for she was too busy digging through her overly-sized purse to notice.

 

“We wanna see through time!” The little girl wailed, so Adam sighed and pulled out the crusty brownies, giving them to the kids on a plate.

 

“Pretty much any of the food we carry will give you a grand mal seizure,” Adam said again, watching as they stuffed their faces with the stale brownies. Disinterested once again, he took the payment from the mother and watched as the kids gagged, trailing after their mother sickly and unevenly as they left the cafe. Adam turned to Scott, death in his eyes.

 

“Did you know,” he started on another story, “That once, a guy called and ordered 12 baked cookies, and we had to put them in the oven separately, because our oven is shitty as hell right? As soon as I got them all packed up, he was like, ‘No… no no no… no, absolutely not,’ and then he put his phone up to his ear and left. And yet he… he already paid?”

 

“Why do weird people constantly find this place?” Scott questioned, and Adam ran his hands through his hair in aggravation.

 

“Swear to god, I’m gonna set myself on _fire_ ,” Adam yelled out into the cafe, causing a few customers to glance at him and Scott to laugh.

 

—

 

“Are… are you alright?” Lawrence asked, concerned when Adam quite literally slammed the door behind him upon arriving at Lawrence’s apartment.

 

“How would you feel,” Adam kicked off his shoes, “If you had to deal with people ordering multiple drinks, taking a sip, and then instantly tossing them into the garbage right in front of you?”

 

“That’s wasteful,” Lawrence commented, and Adam looked at him with something akin to fire in his eyes.

 

“I’m going to hang myself,” Adam hissed. “I can’t fucking deal with the man who keeps coming in and setting up his laptop and speakers in the bathroom. He just- he comes out once in a while to order more food but then he inevitably returns to the bathroom. It’s fucking awkward for everyone. And then there’s the fucker who comes every day at exactly 11:42 and orders a cup of water with 15 ice cubes in it, _specifically_.”

 

“Have you ever tried giving him less than that?” Lawrence suggested, setting his bag on the chair by the kitchen table.

 

“He will literally look at the cup and know, just from looking,” Adam snorted. “The guy’s a fucking creep. Oh, and then there’s that chick who orders a cup of just the flavored cool lime syrup. She does it every Thursday, like it’s a ritual. Oh, and did I mention how often people come in and order, all at the same time, while incoherently sobbing? It’s extremely common. God knows why.”

 

“Did… something happen, besides all of that?” Lawrence asked uneasily, removing his coat and hanging it by the door. Adam fell silent for a moment, looking at the ground.

 

“No,” he said tensely. Lawrence looked at him expectantly.

 

“You’re a terrible liar, Adam.” That earned Lawrence a stubborn glance and a strained sigh.

 

“Your former side-bitch came in the cafe after you went to work,” Adam mumbled. “I made her the shittiest coffee and told her I used her panties as a filter.”

 

“Adam…” Lawrence crossed his arms, and Adam knew he was getting a lecture momentarily. He threw up his hands defensively.

 

“Sorry, but I don’t trust her,” Adam huffed. “She keeps looking at you like she’s gonna eat you and dammit, only I’m allowed to do that.” Lawrence smirked at this, and Adam realized his words. He blushed slightly, but fixed Lawrence with a hard look. “What? I’m being serious, you know.”

 

“Really now?” Lawrence challenged, and it was all the encouragement Adam needed to rush forward, pressing their lips together hungrily. Lawrence groaned as Adam pushed his lips open with his tongue, slipping it inside Lawrence’s mouth hotly. He rolled his hips against Lawrence’s before pulling himself off teasingly, laughing breathily as Lawrence gave him a slightly disappointed, slightly frustrated look. Adam cocked an eyebrow at him.

 

“Well, don’t just stand there if you want to continue,” Adam turned around and began to walk away, then gasped in delight when Lawrence came up behind him, pressing Adam’s back to his chest. Adam groaned at the feeling of lips on the back of his neck, and he tilted his head down to encourage the feeling.

 

“Guess you’re hungrier than I am…” Adam remarked, leading them to the bedroom with interlocked fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Text posts used:
> 
> http://vixenfur.tumblr.com/post/134138328658/lunch-official-nmqttps-lunch-official-i
> 
> http://vixenfur.tumblr.com/post/131520828348/lilstinky-starbucks-tales-a-man-would-come-in
> 
> Brandon Rogers video quotes used:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5yAmurhS7U
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWNy1gcFK2k


	12. THE END

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've run out of ideas.

Hey my lovely readers, I'm very sorry to come here with nothing after all this time, but I've officially decided to end this fic as it is. I really tried thinking of a way to end it with a last chapter 12, some way to end the story solidly, but I really don't know what to do besides tack on some more scenes in the cafe and then maybe have Lawrence ask Adam to move in with him.

I had an idea to have some drama between Alison and Adam, in which she brings Diana into the cafe and Adam makes her cute designs in hot chocolate, therefore winning more of her affections and ticking off Alison, but after that I didn't really know what else to put in this story.

That said, instead of bullshitting for another couple thousand words and making some corny ending, I'm just gonna call it quits and hope you like what I got to show you and build up. I tried my best to make a better Saw fanfic than I did in 2011 (which... if you knew me then, I am so sorry...). I just wanted to contribute something to the fandom, because Lawrence and Adam and Saw still means a lot to me.

If I come up with a better idea in the future, I'll give it my all to write a new fic and make it better than this one.

Until then, I thank all of you for leaving such sweet comments! Most of all, I thank a dear reader of mine who decided to translate this story into Czechoslovakian. That was the first time my writing was translated in another language, and it's amazing for me to know people who don't even speak english are able to read my work. It was a HUGE honor, and if you translate this little blurb as well, tell them that I love them dearly and I hope they enjoyed the story! I'm sorry not to write any more of it, but I hope they are inspired to write their own stories.

That goes to all of you! I hope you guys decide to make something of your own.

I may write some more Chainshipping one-shots in the future; we'll see. Keep an eye out for them, I guess. With that, I'm done here.

  
Thanks so much for all of the support. I love you all!


End file.
